


Beneath the Surface

by quackleeee



Category: Powerpuff Girls
Genre: (forgot to mention that), (slight slow burn but trust me these two will get there), Adventure, Alternate Universe, BUT i have high hopes, Brick Jojo Curses A Lot™, College AU, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fantasy, believe in me lol, idk how this story is going to turn out, mermaid au, random fact but Blossom has glasses :)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2020-08-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:41:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21606982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/quackleeee/pseuds/quackleeee
Summary: Two beings share a secret. But what lies beneath always finds a way to come to the surface, and when it emerges, the sea will hear and know of it. Mermaid AU.
Relationships: Brick/Blossom Utonium
Comments: 8
Kudos: 48





	1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Only the story idea belongs to me. I do not claim the characters, setting, etc. mentioned in this fanfiction.**

* * *

_**"Secrets have a way of making themselves felt, even before you know there's a secret."** _

_**-Jean Ferris** _

* * *

Water. When Brick opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was water all around him. The windows in the car were cracked open just enough to keep the water in, weighing the car down to the deep, dark depths that surrounded it.

Shit.

His brothers. When he looked to his right, he could see Butch floating just in front of the cracked windshield of the car, a bit of blood circulating all around him. It must be coming from his head, which looked terrible from this angle. Boomer was still in the backseat of the car, stuck there thanks to his seatbelt. His blond hair floated helplessly, and from the looks of it, his pinky finger on his left hand was not looking well at all. Boomer and Butch were both unconscious, too.

Shit. Shit, shit, _fucking_ shit.

Brick was usually calm and collected. But his heart couldn't stop thundering and his hands felt absolutely numb. He didn't know what to do; his mind couldn't think about anything other than every little messed up thing that was happening. And he was running out of air. Fast.

Like an idiot, Brick opened his mouth to scream his brothers' names, but some of the water entered his lungs, feeling like pins and needles. It was cold. Everywhere was cold. It was hard to even think about moving in such frozen conditions.

He had to get out of there. He had to get his brothers out of there. He had to get them all out of there and swim up and escape this nightmare before he couldn't hold his breath anymore. Desperately, he unbuckled his seatbelt and tried to break open the window nearest him with his booted foot, but that failed. There wasn't anything sharp in the car he could use—of course, his car had to possess the bare fucking minimum at a time like this—so that idea was out of the picture. His hands automatically went to open the unlocked car door, but then stopped suddenly. If he were to open the door, the water would force both himself and his brothers right out of the car and separate them. And for once, Brick didn't want to be away from his brothers. It was such a selfish thought, but at the moment, he couldn't help it.

That's when it hit him. He was going to die. Butch and Boomer were going to die, too. And ultimately, nobody would care. Imagine that on a news channel. "The three Jojo brothers, notorious for being little shits all throughout the city of Townsville, died in a car submerged underwater just this evening, folks. We're unsure how the hell they got down there, but knowing them, it was through dumb actions, something they tend to do all the time. I'd say tragic, but is it really?"

 _Is_ it tragic if they died? Honestly, with the way life worked out for them, Brick thought it would do the world good to get rid of them.

His eyes began to flutter closed. This was it. He couldn't hold on anymore. He didn't have any eye-opening moment. There was no life flashing before his eyes. But, he didn't feel acceptance, either. All his head could think was, "cold" and "water." What a shitty thought process during a shitty way to go out. This wasn't like the movies at all.

Suddenly, he saw a blur of light pink with a pinch of baby blue and vibrant green. The colors swirled and swirled until it made his brain ache even more than it already did. The mixture of colors was kind of like Boomer and Butch's collaborated ice cream bowl creation, which was just a mashup of flavors that shouldn't be good together but somehow was and _wow_ , now Brick's heart felt all heavy. He might have felt nothing towards their fateful and unfortunate deaths, but he felt something towards his brothers. He was going to miss being his worst self with them. Butch and Boomer might be intolerable and stupid and absolutely annoying, but Brick wouldn't have them any other way.

Brick's eyes closed on their own. In a way, that felt relaxing. He didn't feel the urge to carry on anymore, so he just... let go of life essentially. His ears thundered in the quiet surrounding them. But before he faded away for good, he heard a voice. It was clear, strong, and, somehow, sounded like it was made out of something like honey and magic.

_"We've got to help them, girls..."_

* * *

Water. When Brick opened his eyes, all he could do was sit up quickly and cough out water. And there were tons coming out. Honestly, it felt like it was never-ending.

Brick has had his fair share of puking. He hated to admit it, but out of his brothers, he was the biggest lightweight when it came to alcohol. And he also consumed the most of it every time. Bad habits might die hard, but his stomach and chest died harder. The consequences were worth it, though. Alcohol let him have a good time rather than being sober.

He let out a few more coughs before the water was mostly all out and the pain started to fade. Never had he appreciated fresh air and cleared lungs more in his life than he did right then and there. He got up, wobbling, almost falling back down to the sand that covered his wet boots. The sun had set at this point and the only sounds around were the combination of seagulls and the waves of the sea stretched out in front of him. It felt so lonely. Brick hated it.

"Brick?"

A fluttery feeling entered Brick's heart hearing that voice. It was so squeaky but so comforting to hear.

"Boomer..." Brick turned slightly to the right to see his younger brother. It was crazy how put-together Boomer looked. Not a single strand of his hair looked out of place, and other than his soggy clothes and his slanted pinky finger, he seemed perfectly fine. That was good. But then, Brick's heart felt like it skipped a beat. "Where's Butch?" he asked a little frantically.

"Right behind you, bro." A slightly damp hand gripped onto Brick's shoulder, and he turned around to see his other brother. Butch had this lopsided smile on his face, the one he wore whenever he got out of some shit. Making it out alive from whatever the hell happened to them definitely counted enough. "'Sup?" Butch asked simply.

Brick wanted to cry. He wanted to hug them both and never let go. He wanted to hit them just because he could now that they're not dying in a large body of water. But instead, he rolled his eyes at Butch's carefree nature. "Well, my car's probably at the bottom of the sea," Brick stated more casually than he thought he would. "And it's cold."

"It _is_ cold," Boomer agreed.

Butch nodded his head. " _Very_ fuckin' cold."

The three stood in silence, staring out into the sea, shivering. Sunset Sea wasn't a very popular place to be if you've lived in Townsville your whole life. It was gorgeous, sure, and tourists could take many pictures of it with glee, but it began to look dull the more you look at it. Sand blew in the wind and probably into their eyes, but none of them refused to speak or complain about the setting.

It was weird. They had just beat death. They should be celebrating or something. And yet...

"Hey..." Brick and Butch turned their attention to Boomer. The blond had one of his hands in the other. His pinky looked like it was throbbing, but he didn't show any sign of pain through his troubled face. "How, uh... How did this happen, exactly? Like, what happened in the car?"

Brick opened his mouth to answer, but found he couldn't. It wasn't because he was scared to tell the truth. Rather, he couldn't think what the truth was. He couldn't even remember all of them stepping in the car. Plus, Brick didn't want to explain what he went through when they were all underwater. It was horrifying, and just the thought of it brought a tingly feeling to his hands and a numb feeling to his heart. He hated it.

"I don't know. Do you guys?" Brick looked to Boomer first, who shook his head. He then turned his attention to Butch.

"Nothin's comin' to my mind, either," Butch sighed. "Last thing I remember is Taco Tuesday at Lucinda's Mexican Grill."

Oh yeah, Taco Tuesday. Every Tuesday, the Jojo brothers would head out to the Mexican restaurant near their neighborhood and just pig out on the unlimited tacos. It was the perfect deal: five dollars per person just to receive all the tacos you could eat. They've been enjoying Taco Tuesday for as long as they could remember, and the owner Lucinda enjoyed their company whenever they stopped by.

"It's strange, right?" Boomer asked. "How come none of us can remember anything past the tacos? You'd think at least one of us would know, but..." He bit his lip.

"Okay, but hear me out: they were so good, it disrupted our brains?" With a slight snort, Butch tapped his forehead, then winced a little. The mark on it was still covered in fresh blood, and it was getting brighter as the seconds went on.

Maybe if Butch wasn't such an idiot, Brick would've felt more bad, and he even would've asked if his brother was okay. But that privilege was taken away the moment those words escaped Butch's mouth. Why oh why did he have to suffer by hearing Butch say the dumbest shit when they were supposed to be serious? "Yeah, and maybe this punch'll knock some sense into ya," Brick growled out in reply.

Butch raised an eyebrow. "What pun- _OW!_ " In a flash, Brick punched Butch on the arm. _Hard_. When it came to the Jojo brothers, they put their all into punches, playful intention or not. Butch's left eye started twitching, and that was the clear sign that he was going to blow. "Alright, you son of a bitch—"

The only thing that stopped Butch from charging at Brick was Boomer's arm. Even though he wasn't the strongest, Boomer was very good at separating his brothers from a fight. Must be from him doing it for practically their entire lives.

Boomer gave them both a stern look, a pretty rare occurrence. "Stop guys! We're not gonna get anywhere if we keep arguing," he scolded.

" _We're not gonna get anywhere if we keep arguin'._ " Butch was a professional when it came to mimicking his brothers. It was hard to admit, but he was pretty damn good at it. He had Boomer's nasally voice down perfectly. "God, you sound like a baby. Wasn't puberty supposed to hit ya years ago?" He laughed loudly with a pig snort.

"Hey!" Boomer looked like he was hit square in the chest. If there was one thing he hated, it was being teased over his voice. He was unfortunately either a late-bloomer or a man who would never have a voice that sounded smooth and deep rather than keys scratching on a chalkboard.

Brick rolled his eyes. "Boom's right, though," he said. "Let's cut the shit and just... think for a lil'."

More silence. Then Boomer filled it up again. "...What're we gonna do now?"

That was a good question. It was honestly the main question. And of course, by the way they eyed him, Butch and Boomer expected Brick to answer it. Out of the three, Brick was the smartest. Was he _that_ smart, though? Not really in Brick's opinion. If anything, he was clever at some points and depended solely on Google searches and YouTube videos at most. He was _resourceful_. Even an idiot could be resourceful.

"Gonna be honest guys. I have no fucking clue." Brick plopped down onto the sand, resting his head in his hands. "Y'all can figure it out." He was tired. Honestly, Brick just wanted to go to sleep right there in the sand and not worry about whatever would happen next. Sadly, life was never that easy for him.

"Well, we can't leave the car sinking. It'd probably be unsafe for the animals and plant life living there..." Boomer dragged on, his blue eyes turning back to watch the water. The car couldn't be seen, but they knew it was probably still sinking down as they spoke. That couldn't be good. "Should we, I dunno, call the police to get some help?"

Brick didn't like the police. But he also didn't like the thought of getting caught and arrested over something that wasn't his fault... or, at least what he thought wasn't his fault. Either way, ignoring the issue would just create bigger problems. "Look at you, using your brain. Yes, we should call the police. And by 'we,' I mean 'you.'" Naturally, Brick's voice sounded commanding and straight to the point.

"Why me?" Boomer whined out. "I'm the one who made the plan; can't Butch do it? He never contributes anything other than bad humor."

Butch shrugged, not hurt by Boomer's words. "Well, you are the nicest outta all of us. Plus the elders eat up that squeaky voice of yours. Shit's like a drug to them or somethin'." His fingertips pressed onto his own chest. "And I certainly can't talk with the cops. What if I slip up and call one of 'em a fuck nugget? Do you want that, Boom? Want me to call an officer of the law a fuck nugget?" With a smirk, Butch crossed his arms at the lack of speaking from Boomer's part. "Nope, didn't think so. Now go suck up to the cops, bro."

Boomer frowned but still didn't argue back. Deep down, he knew that Butch was right in a way. Boomer was extremely charismatic, almost to a dangerous fault. If he wanted something, he'd somehow get it with his choice of words alone. It was a talent, really; he did it so easily.

"Fine," Boomer huffed out before heading over to one of the public phones located on the nearby pier.

The other two silently watched him leave before turning back to the sea. It was oddly peaceful looking at it. Still plain and boring, though. Honestly, if they weren't there looking as beat up and tired as they were, then it would have been hard to tell that an accident even happened. It just looked like a typical Tuesday night.

"...Shit," was all Butch could say.

Brick let out a sigh and nodded. He understood that word all too clearly. "Yeah. _Shit_." **  
**

* * *

Soon, Boomer called the police, and after a thirty minute wait ("Isn't the station, like, right around this area?" Butch asked, smacking his teeth. "Fuckin' hell..."), emergency services arrived. One glance at the Jojo brothers was all it took for some of the officers to grow that look of disdain. They tried to hide it behind sympathetic smiles and worried eyes, but Brick knew what they really felt. It wasn't the first time he and his brothers were in front of the cops, anyway, and it sure as hell wouldn't be the last.

And _damn_ , did they ask a lot of questions. " _How did you guys wind up in Sunset Sea? Who was driving the vehicle? Did any of you consume any alcoholic beverages? Can you walk in a straight line? How did you guys escape?_ " The questions were practically endless.

If Brick had no sense like his dear brother Butch, he would've replied without thinking. "I fucking drove, you can bring out a fucking breathalyzer cause I sure as hell didn't drink, I'm cold as shit so walking in a complete straight line would be fucking impossible, and I would LOVE to know how the FUCK we escaped, but I don't. How about you guys hope the fuck offa me and, oh I dunno, let me and my bros go home?" That was one too many f-bombs for the cops to handle.

So instead, he bit his tongue and allowed Boomer to do most of the talking. He was better at it, anyway. The cops definitely wanted to know more, so the brothers were expected to be at the station the next day in the afternoon. Individual questioning would be done.

Shit.

An ambulance also arrived, just so the boys could get checked properly. Luckily, Brick wasn't beat up too bad. He had a few scratches and bruises here and there, which didn't hurt much. But the strangest thing on him were sharp nail marks. They were on his upper arms, and though they only stung a little, he couldn't help but stare at them. It was as if someone dug their nails into his skin, but he couldn't remember who.

Brick overheard the status of his brothers. Butch also didn't get beat up too badly. The worst thing about him was his head, which left one hell of a mark. There weren't any current signs of brain damage or a concussion, but if he felt any headaches or migraines, he was to go to the emergency room immediately for a checkup. "Better safe than sorry," an EMT commented.

However, Boomer definitely had a fractured pinky. They were able to fix it at the scene with local anesthesia and a nice, tiny splint once the procedure was all finished. Health insurance would have covered the cost easily. But Boomer didn't have health insurance. None of them did.  
_  
Fucking shit._ They were already scrapping for money. This plus the cost to remove the car from Sunset Sea and get a new car in general would make things even harder. Brick would have to work my shifts on the weekends if they were available.

"What the..." Brick heard Butch mutter. He turned his attention to what the black haired man was looking at. Tons and tons of vans came pulling up to the beach, and they all had one thing in common: the huge, sparkly 'CHANNEL 4' logo on the side doors.

Every amount of Brick's politeness went flying away. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me," he growled out. He and his brothers had just got out of an accident, and the thought of answering even more questions for a news channel owned by the most spoiled brat in Townsville just did not seem right.

A nearby officer must of heard him, because soon after the outburst, he came strolling towards the three brothers. "You don't have to answer anything if you don't want to," he told them, watching as the infamous Princess Morbucks stepped out of the main van, which was covered in gold and sparkles.

The Jojo brothers were in complete agreement. They most certainly did not want to be questioned any more than they already had. Princess was known for being the most annoying person in town, and they already deal with her enough at Pokey Oaks University. Plus, her news channel would just make them look criminal. They didn't need any more reasons for people to hate them.

"Yeah, I'm ready to dip. _Now_ ," Butch urged, seeing that Princess was almost done reapplying her makeup. It was only a matter of time before she came over there, recognize them, and make a combination of snarky and annoying remarks about the situation.

"Same," Boomer yawned, clearly tired.

Brick nodded. "K, let's go."

The three began to walk off, but the nearby cop stopped them in their tracks. "Do you guys want a ride?" he offered, giving them a slight (and, from the looks of it in Brick's perspective, forced) smile. "Don't worry; it'll be free of charge."

Brick most certainly did not want a ride from an officer. But Butch and Boomer were already headed towards the cop car excitedly (those two were impressed by any and everything), and Brick decided it'd be better to have a ride to escape Princess. He smacked his teeth before following them to the car.

"H-Hey, stop them!" Princess suddenly shouted, and all three brothers visibly shifted. However, not a single person told them to stop, and even if someone did, they weren't going to listen. "W-We would love to have an interview with you boys for Channel 4 News, live right here in Townsville!" she stated almost too enthusiastically, and the sound of her heels hitting the sandy ground was somehow louder than the police sirens and random conversations.

"Oh _brother_ ," Boomer muttered, rolling his eyes as he put his head down. There were a couple of cameras pointed at them, and Boomer loathed cameras completely. Their fifth grade school pictures really took a toll on him. Nobody could ever forget how tragic he looked with a gap tooth, braces, crossed eyes, and the black eye he received from Mitch Mitchelson in a heated game of dodgeball. "I'm surprised she can run. She usually pays people to do that for her," he stated bluntly.

Both Brick and Butch snorted in laughter. Boomer was pretty funny when he dropped the good boy act.

"What's so funny!?" they hear Princess ask, her footsteps still running strong. "Share with the audience! You guys just escaped a sinking car in the Sunset Sea, correct?" She finally caught up to them, blocking their way. Even though she was completely out of breath, her looks didn't get any worse. "Just give me your worded account on what happened already... _please?_ Then I promise to get out of your hair." The microphone in her hand was shoved in Brick's face.

"...You know what? Fine." Brick smiled then lifted his hand, raising his middle finger high in the air. "Here's my 'worded account.' Since you're needy for views, use this for your shitty news channel."

Boomer's jaw dropped while Butch exploded in laughter. There were a collection of other laughs along with gasps and a couple people saying something along the lines of, "Holy shit, did he really do that on live television?" This shouldn't have even been a shocker. Brick Jojo had definitely done worse in his life.

Princess visibly fumed, her face turning red. "Oh, _screw you!_ " Ah, _there_ was the true Princess. It was so easy to anger her, even when she attempted to stay professional in front of cameras. Hopefully the rest of Townsville could see that through the live recording... if anybody were ever sane enough to sit there and watch her channel with full attention.

"Only in your dreams, Princess." He went up to her, ruffled her hair enough to get some of the curls out of her tight, neat bun, and grinned at her growl. "Now, if you'll 'cuse me..." He grabbed her shoulders and pulled the flabbergasted girl to the side before continuing his walk to the car, Butch and Boomer snickering under their breaths as they followed.

No further attempt was made to make the boys speak after that. Everyone just watched as the Jojo brothers climbed into the cop car. As it sped away, sirens on, nobody dared to make a sound.

* * *

The next day, Brick woke up at eight in the morning to see his middle finger on his TV screen.

He wiped his eyes to make sure it was really him, and when he saw that it was, he instantly cringed. " _Shit_ ," he groaned, sliding off his bed.

Honestly, who let him do that? It made him look like a thirteen year old wannabe delinquent instead of a twenty-one year old university student. It would have been one thing if it was just on Channel 4, but Brick always slept to Channel 26 News. The fact that they had this video of him meant that this stupid car issue would be a bigger deal than what he wanted.

His body felt incredibly numb yet incredibly in pain all at once. Flying through the motions, he was somehow able to take a quick shower and put on his clothes for the day. He stared blankly in his room mirror as he threw one of his red caps on his head. The person staring back at him looked pretty shitty to say the least. Luckily, Brick wasn't one to care for his looks much.

Brick read the time again. A quarter past nine. Perfect. He'd actually make it to his morning class on time. Sure, he'd have to skip breakfast, but sacrifices had to be made constantly in university. He didn't really like his Finite Math course, but because it was a prerequisite, he had no choice but to suffer through it. His grade wasn't tanking just yet, though another tardy might make his grade a little too low to keep his scholarship money afloat.

"I'm leaving!" he called out, stuffing books into his book bag before shrugging it over one of his shoulders. Naturally, he was met with silence. Knowing his brothers, Boomer was probably already out and about on his daily walk while Butch was snoring up a storm in his room (The lucky bastard didn't have classes on Wednesdays). He knew there was no purpose announcing his departure, but he couldn't help it. At this point, it was a habit.

Leaving out the rickety door, Brick began the quiet ten minute stroll to Pokey Oaks University, hands stuffed in his red hoodie. If he had his car, it would've definitely been faster, but of course his life had to head downhill. It didn't matter much, though. His stomach was getting less toned anyway; a little exercise would do him some good. The weather today was warm enough to bear, so it wasn't so bad.

By the time he reached the university, however, he began to sweat a little. He was sure his hoodie now had sweat stains. Great. Just what he needed. Now he couldn't raise his hands anymore.

"Wait up girls!" he heard someone call from afar, a female. Curiosity got the better of him, so he looked in that direction. In that moment, her light brown eyes met his dark brown ones as she turned, just for a second. And when the sun suddenly shone on them and she squinted, he noticed that her eyes looked pink in color.

_Pink..._

Brick didn't know why, but he started to walk towards her. He walked and walked and walked until suddenly, he collided with her. They both went tumbling, and while she caught herself easily, he went crashing to the ground, his books following.

"Are you alright?" he heard her ask. And when he looked up, he got a better look at her. The most striking thing about her appearance was this huge, red bow placed neatly on the top of her head. Honestly, it looked like something a grade schooler would wear, which really differed from her sophisticated outfit. But all that didn't matter. It was her voice that really stood out the most. He knew that voice. It was one he could never forget, even if he tried to.

It was the one from underwater.

"You..." was all Brick could mutter out.

The girl blinked. "Yes, me...?" She said it as more of a question than a statement. But her eyes were saying something that contradicted her spoken confusion. They weren't really looking at him actually. She knew he knew that something was being hidden, and he was more than aware of her knowledge. He considered himself a master of hearing what someone's hidden thoughts were saying. _'Don't say anything,'_ hers begged. _'Please. At least not here.'_

Brick was an asshole. But he wasn't _that_ much of an asshole. Butch definitely was. That piece of shit was practically the King of Assholes. Brick was more like the Prince. He'd remove his tiny crown for now, though.

He needed evidence anyway.

"I mean. You. Ya know, like, I know you 'cause I've seen you around," Brick stated lamely instead. That was a complete lie. He'd never seen her before, and if he did, he didn't remember her at all. He collected his books from the ground and stuffed them back into his book bag, making sure to zip it closed this time.

She lets out a laugh that somehow makes Brick feel like he's floating. "You're Brick Jojo, right? I know you, too. Your brother Boomer hangs out with one of my sisters a lot. And you're, like, always on the Dean's List."

"Uhh..." What the fuck? Brick's never been one to get stuck on words, especially in front of a female. Everything he said seemed as if it were calculated and cool. Right now he looked like an idiot. "Heh. Yeah. That's me." Okay, after that reply, he looked like a _major_ idiot. He stuffed his tingling hands in his pockets, hoping the burning sensation in his cheeks would die down.

There was a moment of silence, and during that time, Brick wondered if he should just walk away and never look back. "I'm Blossom Utonium," she suddenly announced. Her cheeks lift up into a small, beautiful smile.

"Didn't ask." Brick just wanted this interaction to be over at this point, so being rude was the best option. He embarrassed himself enough. He didn't want to leave any windows of opportunity open for more moments.

Blossom just shrugs, though. "Just being polite, Brick. I know you didn't. You wanted to know who I am, though."

Brick _did_ want to know her name, but he couldn't exactly admit that to her, could he? It would be awkward as hell. "How'd ya guess that?" he asked instead, one of his eyebrows raised.

She shifted the glasses on her face. "Intuition," she replied simply.

Blossom opened her mouth, seemingly having more to say, but she was interrupted. "Blossom, let's _go!_ " She and Brick turned to see a black haired girl standing a distance ahead of them. Her hands were on her hips, and the scowl on her tanned face clearly showed how she was feeling. "I'm starving and I don't wanna wait in a line!"

"Be patient, Buttercup; I'm coming!" Blossom shouted back, then huffed out some air. She looked at Brick one more time, an unreadable smile on her face. "See you around?" Not waiting for a reply, she turned around and sped off, never looking back as she reunited with the two other girls.

Brick just stood there, staring at the blank spot in front of him even after she was long gone. He felt weird. He felt lost. He didn't like feeling lost.

Blossom definitely knew something, and because this something involved him, he felt that he had no choice but to figure out every single detail. This whole thing was a disaster waiting to happen. But Brick Jojo had a tendency of attracting disasters his way, anyway. What was one more disaster, right?

Brick laughed to himself, combing a hand through his tangled hair. He glanced up at the huge clocked statue standing in the middle of the quad. Nine-thirty. He was late again. Another disaster of the day. He smacked his teeth before running to his class. Only one thought floated in his head.

_'Shit.'_


	2. Chapter 2

_Click, click, click, click._

In the far back of Hines Center, room 402, Blossom Utonium could not stop clicking her pen.

It was a terrible habit, one she developed when she first settled in Townsville. Whenever she had a bad feeling in her gut, she had to press on _something._ If it wasn't her lucky pen that had both pink and black ink options, then it was the random apps on her phone. And if for whatever reason, she couldn't bring her phone out, then it was her tiny, skinny fingers pressing against each other, which usually ended in her dislocating at least one of the bones. She always made sure to keep a sturdy finger splint tucked in her bookbag, just in case the occasion came up while she was out. And it did. A lot.

Blossom's eyes darted to the clock. Only two minutes of class left. Mr. York was known for using every second of class time, and though Blossom adored her American Literature course on a good day, she wanted to escape as soon as possible. The walls felt like they were closing in, becoming more suffocating. None of Mr. York's words seemed to meet her ears. And her thumb refused to stop moving. Try as she might, the collision between her thumb and her pen was unfortunately inevitable.

"...so next time, be sure to read chapters fifty through sixty. We'll be discussing the literary elements of the stories at hand, along with discussing the questions I'll assign to you through e-mail." Mr. York's voice finally picked up as he concluded the lesson. "Hope you all have a nice day," he says, a genuine smile on his face. Blossom checked the clock again. Three-thirty, right on the dot again. Mr. York never failed to end class perfectly.

" _Finally_ ," the girl in front of her huffed, tossing her poofy, orange hair behind her as she marched out. She was probably annoyed by the clicking sounds she had to endure every time Blossom felt even the least bit of anxiousness. Blossom didn't blame her, but she also didn't feel bad. Self-care just had to be a priority some days, even if it didn't benefit others.

Hurriedly, Blossom shoved her items and her bookbag and escaped the classroom into the crowded hallway. She hated having classes near the afternoon since it was one of the busiest times of the day at Pokey Oaks University, but American Literature was only taught every other year, and she needed it to finish her Literacy concentration for her teaching degree on time. She weaved in between groups of people, muttering a loud enough "sorry" each time her shoulder accidentally collided with another student. Luckily, nobody seemed to pay her any mind.

Getting to the quad in one piece was difficult, but Blossom barely managed. She traveled toward a huge fountain lying in front of her. Ever since she and her sisters started their journey at their university, they took the time to sit on the ledge of the fountain, eat, and talk about anything that was appropriate to talk about in a public setting. With a huff, she sat down toward the center of the fountain, pulling her bookbag in her lap. After digging through it a bit, she found what she was looking for: the container of cheap, cold sandwiches she purchased minutes before her class. She was always the one who had to buy lunch for herself and her sisters since the cashier who worked at that time daily liked her enough to give her discounts. She was sure it was because of the big, red bow that she always wore, even though Buttercup thought otherwise.

"Blossom!" Speaking of Buttercup, there she was, jogging over towards Blossom. When Blossom stood up to give her sister a smile face-to-face (or, as face-to-face as it could get since Buttercup beat her height by eleven inches), she slapped a hand on Blossom's shoulder. "How was class?" Buttercup asked as usual.

"Good," Blossom fibbed a bit. She was sure it would have been a great lecture if she had enough energy to pay attention, so saying 'good' was better than nothing. "You?"

Always completely honest with her feelings of disdain, Buttercup replied with a simple word. "Ass." She reached over, digging into the container of sandwiches to pick the biggest one of the three. She always ate the most and gained the least, an unfair gift the other Utonium sisters didn't receive.

Curiously, Blossom raised an eyebrow. "Biodiversity, right? What made it so bad today?" she asked.

With a sigh, Buttercup tossed her bookbag on the ground as if it didn't hold anything expensive. "Dr. Tapp keeps getting on me. I mean, this is a class of, like, hundreds of people, yet she still finds a way to call me out!"

"Probably 'cause she didn't try to do her homework again," a voice chimed in. Blossom and Buttercup turned, facing their other sister. Bubbles let out a giggle at Buttercup's expression. Despite her kind nature, Bubbles couldn't help but let out a tease or two at her sister's expense. "Hi, guys," she greeted.

Buttercup glared at the blonde. " _Hello_. And for your information, I tried doing the homework this time. Just because I didn't finish it means nothing. It's Dr. Tapp's fault for ignoring all my emails with questions! I genuinely tried!" she snapped.

"And yet, all I saw were pictures of video games victories on, like, every social platform you use all throughout yesterday. Definitely looks like you tried, Butters." As Bubbles picked up her own sandwich, there was no way she could hide her smirk at Buttercup's angry huff.

Blossom let out a tiny laugh at the scene, but her heart wasn't fully in it. Honestly, she was still thinking too much, thinking too much about the car, about the boys, about _him_ knowing. She felt herself begin to walk back and forth, another habit of hers. When her thoughts ran, she walked. It was just how she operated.

"Is she doing the thing again...?" she heard Bubbles mutter.

Buttercup nodded. "Yup, she's _definitely_ doing the thing," she whispered back. "She's gotta calm down."

"Huh?" Blossom blinked, then paused her movements and narrowed her eyes at her sisters. "I _am_ calm! What 'thing' are you guys even talking about?"

Buttercup snorted. "Well, your thumb won't stop pressing against your poor sandwich, and some of the lettuce is falling out." She pointed at Blossom's poor excuse for a sandwich. Seriously, it was crushed beyond repair. Blossom didn't even realize it until she called her out. "A calm person definitely paces around and does all of _this_ ," Buttercup continued, gesturing towards Blossom, "in the middle of a quad where everyone can see."

Bubbles nodded. "Buttercup's right, Bloss. I know you're stressed about... you know. We both do. But, you've gotta breathe, girl."

Easier said than done. Breathing sounded like the hardest thing to do right now. "But..." Blossom started.

Both Bubbles and Buttercup gave their older sister a look, one that said something along the lines of, _"Sit the heck down, take a bite of your sandwich, and breathe."_

Blossom sighed, then did just that. The sandwich was, of course, pretty gross, but it got the job done. She nibbled on it for a bit, relaxed a couple of her nerves before speaking again in a quiet voice as her sisters sat down beside her. "Okay. I know it's unlikely, girls, I know. But what if he knows? What if we're caught? We can't afford that. You know what'll happen to us."

There's a moment of silence, one that couldn't be ignored. All three of them knew the rules. Even though they hadn't been home for who knew how long, the rules were still etched in their brains, followed them with every step they took. No amount of time could ever cause them to forget them entirely.

Bubbles was the one who decided to talk. "Then we'll handle it like we've handled everything else. Together," she replied, giving a strong smile. It was a small action, but it was filled with so much meaning and love.

A small smile settled on Blossom's lips. That was all she could do at that moment, at least physically. But mentally, she was still freaking out, just a tiny bit.

Bubbles looked down at her phone as it vibrated, then gasped. "Shoot! I almost forgot. We've got our group meeting in a bit, Buttercup." Quickly, she downed the last bit of her sandwich, wiping frantically on her sweater to rid of the crumbs.

"Ugh. I hate group projects," Buttercup grumbled, and she didn't look eager to stand up and finish her sandwich as quickly as Bubbles did.

Immediately, Bubbles pouted. It was easy to tell why: Bubbles took it personally. Blossom knew the two were paired up along with another student for their shared English course, and knowing Bubbles and her sensitivity, she probably thought Buttercup was saying something along the lines of, _'I hate working with this particular group.'_

"I didn't say I hate you or Mike; I said the _project!_ " Buttercup exclaimed, but it was too late. Bubbles was already walking away, arms crossed and head held high. "What a baby..." Pinching her nose, Buttercup growled a little. She then glanced at Blossom. "Hey, you got a while before your evening class right? Use this time to chillax, sis. You're just overthinking again; there's no way the guy knows shit. Just... I dunno, destress study? Is that a thing?"

With a roll of her eyes, Blossom couldn't help but grin. "Sure, yeah, let's say destress studying is a thing," she replied. To be fair, it _could_ be real. Blossom wasn't a fan of all her classes this semester, but there was enough to distract her and get her normal thoughts away for a while. "But okay. I'll calm it down, promise. See you and Bubbs at home."

As Buttercup ran to catch up with Bubbles and probably explode with anger filled apologies, Blossom got up from her spot, swallowing the last bite of her sandwich. Buttercup was right: Blossom _was_ overthinking again. It was one of her flaws, really. Anything bad happens, then POOF, a thought turns into three, and those three thoughts turn into billions by the time a minute is over. You would think she'd be used to it, but alas.

"Might as well go to the library," Blossom muttered, packing her container back inside her bag. The library was a quick five-minute walk from the quad and she had nothing planned for the next eight hours anyway. It wouldn't hurt to get a few assignments done; she always loved to be more ahead than behind. Besides, she was always tired after Teaching Ethics. As soon as she reached her dorm room, she was going to pass out for sure.

"Hey."

Blossom felt every part of her being turn stone cold. That voice. She wasn't ready to hear it, but the day decided to throw it at her anyway without any warning.

"Hey," she responded back simply, placing on a polite smile as she looked up at Brick. He wore this smug grin on his face, the one you'd wear if you knew that you won, even before a contest began. "What are you—" she started but was interrupted.

"Ya know, my brothers are always tellin' me to make friends. And I usually tell 'em no, I don't wanna, 'cause people aren't interesting. But you." He gave her a look said something without any use of vocal words. "You're _interesting,_ Blossom Utonium. Very interesting."

Blossom felt her face heat up. What happened to that flustered boy a couple of hours earlier? Sure, he was still, well, a smug piece of shit, but at least it was the lowkey type. Now, he radiated smug-piece-of-shit energy. And his attitude wouldn't be such a big deal if he didn't look like _that._

Brick was, in a word, attractive. Not the kind of attractive that you'd see in the movies—that was that fake, first-love-at-first-sight type attractive that didn't exist in the real world—but the subtle type of attractive. His style was mostly sloppy, and his dark orange hair was always pushed back by the tattered red cap on his head. It was the way he carried himself that always caught Blossom's eye. He always looked so bold, so courageous, so determined, almost like he always knew what he wanted. Maybe he did. It made it hard for others to ignore him entirely.

"Well," Blossom started, deciding that silence, in this case, would only lead her towards an inevitable doom much sooner, "interesting is something I strive to be, so thank you."

"Cocky. I like that." He grew a smirk.

Blossom didn't like the tone of that word. _Cocky_. "I think I'm more confident if anything," she corrected.

"'Course ya do." Brick gave her another glance over, a quick scanning that made Blossom's entire body feel like she were some sort of bargain deal. "Well, I just wanted to stop by and chat. I am..."

Brick's eyes glanced off to the huge tower clock. Every student at Pokey Oaks University learned one way or another that the tower clock read thirty-seven minutes incorrectly. Since the school was too cheap to spend some money to fix it, they all had to either learn how to mentally calculate the time, check on their phones, or ask a friend.

Mental calculation didn't seem too hard for Brick. "Oh wow. Five minutes late to my meeting. Just what I fuckin' needed..." He said the last part in a mutter, shaking his head. Blossom could tell it wasn't his first time being late to something, and it certainly wouldn't be his last. "Anyway. See ya 'round real soon."

 _Real soon._ Those words escaped him like a promise that he intended to keep. Blossom could only give a feeble wave goodbye, the same polite smile on her face. She had to look normal because this was supposed to be a normal encounter with normal intentions. Brick gave a lazy wave back, then strolled out into the neverending crowd of students, somehow looking like the biggest thing even with so many people around him.

Blossom's fingers twitched.

Brick knew. He _definitely_ knew. Blossom could tell.

* * *

Blossom was restless and she needed a swim. Badly.

Professor always told her to be careful, to look out for others that might see her. Blossom was _always_ on the lookout, though. It felt like second nature at this point. Being the oldest, it was her responsibility to not only take care of herself but her sisters as well. Every single day, her eyes darted from left to right, top to bottom, constantly looking out for those who were looking out for her, hearing out for her. But she never found anything, and her sisters always told her to calm down.

So, she would calm down through her favorite activity, the reason she lived: swimming.

The best part about living in Gray Dormitory was that it was right next to the pool area. Living on the first floor near the exit also had its perks, the main one being that walks to places around campus were shorter. Blossom wasn't necessarily lazy, but traveling less before a swim felt better than a hike or something.

"Alright, all set," Blossom muttered to herself as she stuffed the last items into her swim bag. She made sure everything was folded neatly before zipping it up and throwing the light straps over her shoulders.

Living in a single room got lonely since she was used to her sisters bugging her late into the night. Freshman and sophomore year were filled with so many fun memories of having the same room; it had been a while since they shared one, and it was like nothing had changed. The one thing she didn't miss, however, was the prying. _"Where are you going, Blossom? Can I come? Why is your face so sweaty and your fingers so twitchy? You're hiding something, aren't you? Is it a date?_ " Bubbles and Buttercup were her best friends and the greatest sisters she could ever receive, but _damn,_ did they get on the very last of her nerves. Nowadays, she could just walk out and head to the pool after midnight with no questions asked and no guilty feelings attached.

After double-checking her room to make sure that everything she needed was packed and ready to go, Blossom shut off the lights and locked the door, stepping out into the heated hallway. There were some doors open, and she could hear music playing and conversations being made. Gray Dormitory was always pretty loud throughout the night, but it was a blessing the walls were so thick. Blossom would've moved out to a new floor or even a new dorm if anything disrupted her sleep.

The cold, night air hit her face all at once as she exited the dorm, and she shivered slightly. Unlike indoors, it was dead silent. Nobody tended to stick around outside past midnight. She took a sharp right and was immediately greeted by the sight of the Johnson Center, the pool area. The pool was always vacant after eight, so she wasn't worried about getting caught. Even though the head coach had a key, he never locked the door correctly. Blossom could tell because the lock wouldn't click like other locks on campus when he attempted to lock it. As she looked around to see that nobody could see her, then pushed open the door to the main entrance, she instinctively inhaled and let out a satisfied sigh. The faint smell of chlorine could never match the sea by any means, but it was still comforting in a strange way.

Slipping into the girl's locker room, she traveled towards the far back, opening the second last locker on the right side of the room. It only had a couple of things inside: some pictures of her and her family, random scrunchies varying in pinks and whites, and one of the cases for her glasses. The locker used to be vacant since the swim team refused to use this it—something about it being haunted by a ghost, which was absolutely ridiculous in Blossom's opinion—so she decided to make it hers. Nobody ever found out, or if they did, she had yet to get called out on it. It was her perfect little secret, and she was going to hold onto it for as long as she could.

After changing into her swimsuit and throwing her thick, white towel around her shoulders, she threw her bag inside the locker and took out the case for her glasses. She then traveled out the connecting door to the huge pool, a simple 3-foot to 13-foot body of water that felt more like home every time she entered. Of course, it wasn't home, but it was close, and close was better than nothing. She had spent hours during the late nights just swimming away. It made her feel free.

"Here should be fine..." Blossom muttered to herself, taking off her glasses and placing them inside the case. The world around her blurred slightly, but she was still able to see enough to know where to put her case, right underneath the nearby lifeguard chair. It was close enough for her to grab them once she was done.

Then, Blossom carefully traveled to the huge diving board at the far end of the pool. She then climbed the ladder slowly and traveled to the base of the diving board. Her skin screamed eagerly for the water below, and Blossom knew that it was time to listen to its call. Elegantly, she swung her arms in a steady rhythm as she took a slight run to her destination. Her posture was as perfect as always even as she reached the edge of the diving board. Her feet pointed as soon as they were both in the air, and her body twisted expertly as she fell toward the body of water below. And as she finally landed into the water, her legs getting that familiar heavy feeling to them as they shifted and changed, she couldn't wipe the grin on her face. It was all so familiar and warm.

One of Blossom's favorite things about swimming in the pool was that she was surrounded by nothing but water. She liked to think of it as a huge hug, specifically one of those hugs you'd get after a bad day at school. It felt like home more than her current home ever could. And she could see clearly. On land, she was slightly oblivious to all that was around her without glasses; she didn't have the worst sight out there, but it was still hard for her to see from certain distances. In water, though, she could see, well, everything plus more. It was like she was destined to be there, destined to stay underwater forever.

With a slight laugh of joy, she sprung from the deep depths of the water to the air above, eyes closed. The bright lights of the area shone directly on her, a fake attempt of sunlight. Blossom just reveled in it, pretending that she was out above the waters of the sea, taking in countless amounts of the sun's rays on her tanned skin. It was such a pretty sight, the escape she wanted.

But as she opened her eyes, painful reality struck in the worst way possible.

"Hey."

"...Hey."

It was weird. Normally, in a situation like this, Blossom would feel absolutely terrified. Her heart would be pounding, her head would be screaming, and her fingers would be sprained from colliding into one another over and over. But at that moment, she felt nothing. It was as if her body shut down to the point where she was in some form of space.

And normally, in a situation like this, any normal human being would be _screaming_ at this sight, whether it be out loud or mentally. A typical guy with Brick's personality would hurry at the chance to whip out a phone and take a picture to sell it on some big media platform and obtain fortune that would last a lifetime. But Brick didn't do that. Instead, he slipped out of his raggedy sandals and dipped his feet into the water, his dark brown eyes staring deep into her soul. Yet again, weird.

"So," he started simply. He shifted slightly, propping his elbows onto his lap as he laid his head on one of his hands. "Hm. I, uh, see that you're... _tailing_ around here."

Blossom couldn't help it. She laughed. Even though that joke was shitty and even though this was shitty timing, she couldn't help but respond to him like that. "No. Please don't," she replied seriously, but her lip couldn't help but twitch up slightly.

Brick looked pleased... Either that or the blob in front of her just looked pleased. Blossom couldn't tell. She was too afraid to swim closer to him clearly. He seemed to be the type who loved when people laughed at his crappy jokes, so she was probably right. "After hours, too. What a daredevil. Are you even on the swim team?" he asked.

She wasn't. Of course not. Everyone would see who she really was if she ever decided to be stupid enough to join. "Are _you?_ " she retorted like a child because in this case, childish retorts changed the conversation enough. Plus, she was sure he wasn't on the team. What was the likelihood of that being true?

"Yes, actually. I just came here to pick up some things I forgot." Blossom didn't look convinced, but Brick wasn't affected by that at all. "Look. I'm the first place winner of the men's two hundred meter competition throughout last season and currently in this one."

His head turned towards the back of the pool area, and Blossom's eyes followed. She narrowed her eyes, and her vision improved enough to see what he was staring at. There, hanging up on the wall, was a huge, golden plaque with his name in glittery lettering, ribbons of all shapes and sizes surrounding it. He wasn't kidding. Go figure. Blossom knew she wasn't really into sports news on this campus, but she didn't think she was _this_ clueless.

"My best time has yet to be broken," he continued, turning back to Blossom, "but I _think_ I have some competition over here. I feel like you're a phenomenal swimmer. Don't ask how I know; I just do."

"I..." Blossom's mouth suddenly went dry. Oh right. _This._ It wasn't looking like a good situation at all, and no amount of jokes and teasing could change what Brick was seeing at that moment. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You don't?" Brick didn't sound convinced. If anything, he sounded amused.

She had no choice but to keep playing along. It was better than nothing. "No. I'm not even here. You're hallucinating. Must be drunk off your ass again."

With a mock gasp, Brick placed his fingertips on his chest. "I'll have you know that I'm a _responsible_ student. I only drink on the weekends." His lips settled into a smirk. "Nice try though. You must 'drink' a lot though, considering you're a mer—"

Blossom felt her entire heart in her throat. That word. _Mermaid._ It was a majestic word to most, but the scariest word for her, the word that could ruin her life just by uttering those two, simple syllables. At this point, just the mere thought of the word caused her to freeze up. In a flash, Blossom swam over to him and leaned, covering his mouth her wet hand. In normal circumstances, he could have easily pushed her away and continued his line, but he just sat still, eyes focused on her. He didn't even flinch.

"Don't say it!" Blossom hissed out in a hushed whisper, which was ironic since nobody else was there, at least not physically. " _They'll_ hear."

"Who?" she heard his muffled voice come out. A bit of his saliva got on her hand as he licked her— _oh gross, he really licked her like a damn child would—_ and she removed it with a quickness, trying not to think too hard about the new germs that sat on her hand or how long she was going to shower later to get them off.

"Don't worry about it." Blossom thought for a bit, then crossed her arms. "Wait, actually, worry about it because if they hear us, it's _over_. It'll be a complete and utter disaster for not only me but you and the entirety of Townsville."

But Brick didn't look scared. He didn't even look a tiny bit shaken up. "I don't know. I've always been attracted to disasters." He shrugged as if this huge deal was anything but.

Typically, warnings worked. You'd get a warning from a mythical creature, and you'd believe it. Blossom was still somehow shocked at Brick's behavior, even though a part of her knew he'd respond this way. "You're joking."

"You wish I was joking." With a slight chuckle, he continued to lightly move his feet in the water. Blossom could tell that he was a swimmer from that action alone. The simple movement held a lot of power, something similar to swimming laps at top speed. "You know what I want, Blossom?" he suddenly asked.

"To watch me suffer?" Blossom answered in a deadpan voice because it seemed to be obvious enough.

"Yes. That brings me joy." See? Obvious. "But more than that, I want some answers and some entertainment from my _new friend_."

The small, confused frown on Blossom's face couldn't be hidden. "...Why? There's no gain from this." She couldn't wrap her head around him.

"Why not? I'm bored." Somehow, it was very easy to tell that Brick was telling the truth. Either that, or he was a _very_ good liar, a dangerous trait. "You can't lie and say you've _never_ wanted to talk about this with someone who hasn't known."

Blossom's mouth opened, but no words came out. Admittedly, she was never the best at lying. Fibbing occasionally, sure, but a full lie was always something she struggled with. It was hard to admit, but Brick wasn't wrong at all. Sure, she had her sisters and Professor to talk with, but they were like her. They weren't fully clueless, and, in her and her sisters' cases, they weren't fully even human. Brick knew absolutely nothing, and that was... interesting.

So, he wanted to talk? Fine. She'd talk in the only way she could.

Blossom let out a shaky breath. "Alright. You win." If Brick wanted to know the real her, to gain a "new friend" or whatever bullshit he said to keep him quiet from spilling everything she should've hidden better, then Blossom was going to do what she did best. She was going to introduce herself. "Blossom Utonium. I like reading. I want to be a teacher." The sea couldn't see her, but it could hear everything she said. _Everything._ She had to be careful. "And... And I am what you think." Her words were quiet yet clear, ambiguous yet with a purpose.

If there was one thing Blossom learned, it was that Brick wasn't stupid. He might not be aware of everything, but he was aware enough to not maneuver _around_ her words but to maneuver _with_ them. "Brick Jojo. Think I'm gonna be the next big inventor. Favorite color's red." Brick offered his hand, and reluctantly, Blossom took it. His hands were hot as fire. "And it's nice to meet you properly, Blossy. I'm sure this'll be fun."

Blossom couldn't help but press her pointer fingers together under the water after their handshake completed. Yeah. _Fun._ Deep down, she couldn't help but feel a mixture of excitement and fear, as if she made the best and worst decision at one moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N *walks in after, like, a third of a year* A ha ha...
> 
> No, but seriously. Hello everyone! I'm back! These past few months haven't been easy, like, at all, but I'm still going to try to continue writing~ It's a great stress reliever, aha.
> 
> This got way more interaction than I could have ever expected, so for that, thank you to everyone! I'm so glad this story is at least interesting to you guys, and I hope to continue making y'all proud. I've actually started to make a general list of what's going to happen in the story, so the more I finish that, the more chapters I can write. I'm excited to create and showcase this story to you all, and I hope you'll stick around.
> 
> Thank you again! Stay safe, wash your hands, and have a beautiful day! :)


	3. Chapter 3

A mermaid. A real-life, in the flesh, fucking _mermaid._

Out of all mythical creatures that could possibly exist out there, mermaids were the last thing on Brick's mind. Mythical creatures weren't in his mind at all, actually. There was so much bullshit thrown Brick's way throughout his life, he didn't think there was much magic in the world. How could there be any if it refused to even grace him with a singular tap?

But now he could see that it was real. _She_ was real. She was _really_ a mermaid.

"Shit," Brick couldn't help but laugh breathlessly to himself as he strolled down the dark neighborhood towards his home, the full moon supplying enough light to navigate. The whole thing was crazy. This shit happened in fairy tales, and here he was, practically living one.

The situation didn't really dawn onto him until their hands met. She had scales on her wet hands. Fucking glistening _scales_ like she was some fish. ( _She kind of_ was _a fish. Did mermaids feel offended by being called fishes? Was it overstepping?_ ) It had taken everything in him to handle the situation the way he did. Even as he made up some lame, unceremonious excuse about completing homework before taking his nonchalant leave, his whole body couldn't stop shaking.

Brick held his Computers and Programing textbook close to his chest, his pale fingers shivering. If it weren't for the fact that he had to pick the textbook up from his locker in the men's pool locker room after getting questioned by the police, and if it weren't for the fact that he just so happened to hear the sounds of someone splashing around in the pool, he would have never seen her. It was bizarre to think about.

 _'I am what you think._ ' That's what she said to him. Judging by her entire look, she was a mermaid; that was obvious enough. But she seemed to be rather terrified when he almost said that word, mermaid. Maybe she couldn't be called out. ( _Was it kind of like a rule? Did mermaids have rules?_ ) That was no problem. Brick was used to maneuvering around things.

Entering the small, familiar apartment building felt odd. This was supposed to be when boring reality hit, but considering the fact that mermaids existed, he didn't think that feeling would come anytime soon. He was hit by a peculiar smell once he traveled to the third floor of the building, and when he entered his own home, he realized where the scent was coming from: their kitchen.

Butch cooked. _Shit._

"That you Brick? Where the hell you been?" Speak of the devil, there he was in that same stupid ass apron wrapped around him. ( _'Best Meat in Town'_ was the quote on it, a tragic thing Brick had to read any time Butch cooked. After Butch found it deep within the various boxes in the apartment complex, he always wore it when it was his turn to cook. It was the curse of all curses.)

There was no way he was going to tell his brothers about what he just saw, partially because of Blossom's warning, but mostly because his brothers are terrible at keeping secrets, especially Butch. "I got laid," he replied instead, tossing his textbook on the nearby couch. He used his foot to close the door.

"Hah!" Butch laughed out.

Brick scowled. Sure, he was a virgin—sue him for wanting his first time to be special, whatever—but him getting laid wasn't _that_ unlikely of a scenario. "Fuck off," he growled out, middle finger in the air. His eyes immediately rolled when Butch let out a few snickers. "What slop am I eating today?" he decided to ask to change the conversation. He took off his run-down shoes and placed them neatly with the other two pairs. The Jojo brothers only relied on one pair of shoes at a time. But now, they were starting to smell, and the holes in Boomer's were becoming more evident. It was only a matter of time before they had to sacrifice some of their paychecks for new ones. Brick tried his hardest to avoid stressing about it.

Their house was small, so it only took a few steps to come from the living room to the kitchen. The whole area looked a mess. Tiny traces of flour were practically all over the counters and stove. Even the fridge looked like it was in a war zone or something. Brick sighed. He pulled the aluminum foil back from the pan on the counter and almost fainted. Whatever it was, it looked as bad as the lunches they had to eat in middle school.

Butch looked offended. "It's not 'slop.' It's chicken. Damn good, too."

It took three hard pinches on his arm for Brick to realize that he wasn't dreaming and Butch was being serious. "That's _chicken_?" Brick asked, taking the moment to blink for a second longer. His eyes weren't deceiving him. All he could see was goo, _not_ chicken. "Are we looking at the same thing? Where the hell are the bones at?"

"It's boneless."

"I see no skin either."

"Skinless, boneless chicken. Duh."

" _Why are there green clumps everywhere?_ "

"Seasoning!"

"Oh, my fucking..." Brick pinched his nose. Out of all headaches, Butch gave him the biggest ones by a mile. He thought the man would know how to at least make chicken of all things, especially after all these years. Apparently, even that was too hard. Brick guessed he would just have to starve another night.

Butch smacked his teeth and rolled his eyes as if the abomination of a meal he made was even a small amount of good. "You're more than welcome to spend some money on food." A smirk settled on his lips as he jabbed a finger directly on Brick's chest, the one area Brick hated the most. It was like an "I want to fight" spot for him, and Butch knew it all too well. "Oh wait, that's right, you _can't_ afford it Mr. 'My Car Went Into The Bottom of Sunset Sea.'"

Brick couldn't help it. He punched Butch square in the jaw. And of course, Butch couldn't help but punch him back in the gut. Soon, they were on the kitchen floor, throwing their best jabs at each other. This wasn't a surprise. The two of them always fought over big and small things. In the end, it'd be no hard feelings, but at that moment, they had to let their combination of anger and excitement drive them.

"Quit it, assholes!" Boomer's voice suddenly rang out from the back room. "I have my eight-a.m. in literally seven hours and I have a quiz first thing. You guys can fucking fight outside or whatever, I don't care; just let me _sleep_."

Pushing Boomer over the edge was never a good idea, especially when it came to school. Out of all the brothers, he took it the most seriously. So, after Butch landed one more jab at Brick's shoulder (he just _had_ to get the final punch, the little fucker), the two sat on the kitchen ground, catching their breaths. From a distance, Brick could hear tiny traces of sounds from the other apartment rooms. Their neighbors on the left were arguing like usual, and the residents upstairs were either having a competition on who can jump on the bed the loudest or screwing. Brick decided it was the latter.

"Look," Butch spoke up after a while, "you got a bruise just like me and Boom." With a genuine smile, he pointed at Brick's eye. "Now we're _really_ triplets."

Brick's hand moved to his eye and immediately recoiled as he winced in pain. Yep, definitely a black eye. Brick snorted. "Hilarious."

"Thanks, I try." A cocky smile etched on Butch's face. "So, gonna act like that never happened because I'm the bigger person and also the winner." Brick had to bite his tongue to avoid arguing back. "I'll ask you somethin' instead. Like, I don't know, what'd the cops say to you?"

Brick should have expected this question. Butch was nosey. It was just that he didn't want to answer. It was bad enough he was late for his meeting at the police station—he had gotten distracted by Blossom at that moment—but to be reminded was even worse. "They told us not to speak to each other 'bout it," Brick said.

"And? Since when do you give a fuck about the law?" Butch asked with a scoff.

That was a good point. Sure, Brick _listened_ to the law for the most part. However, it was just that he didn't give a singular shit about it, and authorities didn't give a shit that he didn't give a shit, which made it easier for him to break it. "They just asked the same stupid questions from the other day, as if I even have an answer." Brick rolled his eyes. "Mostly focused on me potentially be some drunk driver, even though they know I wasn't. They've seen me drunk plentiful of times, so they knew I was telling the truth."

"Nothin' else?" Brick shook his head, and Butch groaned. "They asked me the same things, mostly tried to admit we was out of it or something. I'm pretty sure Boom got asked that, too. The least they could've done is make us try to rat each other out like they do in the movies."

With a sigh, Brick pulled himself up off the ground. He held his hand out, helping Butch on his feet. "Well, you know Townsville," Brick started. "Police are just gonna sweep this under the rug, just like the other times. They don't wanna spend any more time on us than they gotta. They've done that enough."

Butch let out a bitter laugh at that last line. "They sure have," he mused. "Typical."

Brick frowned. Reality hit then, just like it always did. It didn't matter if mermaids were real, or unicorns, or fairies, or any damn thing. At the end of the day, that didn't have anything to do with him. He'd still have to go about his shitty life, and most of the people around him wouldn't care at all.

"Brick?" Butch's voice snapped Brick out of his thoughts. "Ya good bro?" he asked gently, eyebrows scrunched together. Butch was never one to admit he was worried, but he wore his feelings on his face, even when he tried to hide it.

"Uh, yeah. Just tired." Brick balled up a heated fist and shoved it in his jacket pocket. He slid across the kitchen floor, traveling toward the bathroom. "I'm gonna get ready for bed. Make sure to clean ya mess 'fore you go to bed this time; Boomer and I ain't doing it for you," he called out as he quickly dug into the drawer just outside the bathroom. From there, he picked up a random T-shirt along with some shorts.

"You say that, but watch when tomorrow comes," Butch snickered just loud enough for Brick to hear.

" _Butch Benson Jojo_."

"Alright, alright!" Brick could hear Butch exclaim right before he closed the bathroom door. "No need for the full government, _Brickley_."

If Boomer wasn't so serious about sleeping, Brick would've punched Butch again, which would've resulted in yet another fight. But he would have to wait for a better moment. That was fine. He'd catch the little snake by surprise sooner or later.

Brick preferred hot showers over anything else, but at that moment, he craved the cold. He didn't know why. Maybe he wanted to widen his senses, or maybe the throbbing pain from his eye was taking over his whole body. Either way, he set the shower to the coldest setting, stripped out of his clothes, and entered the shower. As each droplet landed on his exposed skin, his body jolted in response, teeth chattering. By the time he was finished lathering and rinsing his body, he felt numb all over but more awake than ever. The usual flickering of the bathroom light didn't bother him as much as his thoughts did.

It had been two days since the accident, but he could still feel everything he had felt as if it had just happened again. Fear. Cold. Breathlessness. And the main thing he remembered, the thing that couldn't be forgotten no matter how hard he tried: water. How it surrounded him, inside and out; how it was all he could see; how it etched its words onto his skin, even now.

His mind swirled with so many things until suddenly, he heard a clear voice that wasn't his own, one that made him tingle all over. _"Find me."_

Brick's hands fumbled to the shower handle, immediately cutting the water off. And just like that, everything was quiet. All he could hear was his heavy breathing and the final dripping water of the showerhead. "What the hell..." Brick stared at the space in front of him. Nothing. Cautiously, he peaked out the shower to look around the room. Still nothing. He thought it could have been a prank from Butch and Boomer, but then he shook his head. There was no way his brothers sounded like that. Hell, Boomer's voice might be high pitched, but he didn't sound _that_ feminine.

"Shit, I really gotta go to sleep," he muttered, deciding he was imagining things. It was getting late and it had been a long day with big discoveries. Of course, he couldn't think straight.

Quickly, he dried himself off, slipped into his pajamas, and threw his other outfit into the nearby dirty hamper. By the time he exited the bathroom, it was silent all around the house. Luckily, the kitchen was somewhat clean. The appliances and counters looked pretty nice. Brick looked into the sink and rolled his eyes at the sight of some dirty dishes. He'd make Butch clean them bright and early before class.

Brick entered the living room, shut off the lights, and, after turning on the TV, plopped himself onto his bed tucked in the corner of the room. The apartment was technically only meant for one person, but the three of them made it work. Unfortunately, that meant that as the responsible eldest brother that he was, Brick had to take the sacrifice of a small bed in a small room while his brothers got an actual bedroom with fairly sized beds. It wasn't that big of a deal—his bed was pretty comfortable, and his mattress pad worked well with him for years—but sometimes, he grew a bit jealous.

Unlike Boomer and Butch, Brick didn't need to scroll aimlessly on his phone or even look at the TV to fall asleep. He just needed backup noise, not distractions. Even though this was perfect sleeping conditions, it was never easy for him to actually sleep. With a sigh, he stared at the ceiling, head lying in hand waiting for the moment he would close his eyes and slip into slumber.

* * *

"A list?"

"Yup. A list."

Admittedly, Brick couldn't sleep well. This wasn't new. Having a lot of homework does that to a college student, and he worked better in the night rather than at any reasonable time ever. Even when he didn't have work to do, he still stayed up until it was close to dawn. And so, last night, he did what he always did when his eyes refused to close: he wrote a list.

It was something his father used to do back when life wasn't as shitty. Every night, a young Brick tucked deep in a pile of old, torn blankets could hear the various mutters from Dr. Michael "Mojo" Jojo from across the hall. Aloud, Mojo would go through every equation and variable to find some solution, and with each solution brought more questions that would be added onto what he called the Grand List.

Brick remembered thinking it was fucking stupid back then. And now look him: he was a list freak. Guess the apple didn't fall too far from the tree after all.

Homework lists, grocery lists, thought lists: if there was a type of list for something, there was a high chance Brick wrote it at some point in his life. He was a hoarder of sorts, too; every list he wrote, he kept it. The living room back at home was almost filled to the brim with black binders of all he ever wrote and all he will write in the future. It was a good way to remember things; Mojo had taught him that, too. And once Blossom was done answering his list of questions, he'd add it to his ever-growing collection.

Blossom's eyes quickly scanned the piece of paper in front of her. He could tell she was frightened. He didn't know why. It wasn't like he was going to climb the table and shout out, _'Blossom Utonium is a mermaid, and I can prove it!'_ before dumping a pile of water on her in the middle of the quad. Sure, he teased her the other day, but he wasn't, like, _that_ bad of a person. Close, but not quite. Calling people out in public was another type of low that Brick would never respect under most circumstances.

Finally, she spoke. "I can't—" she started, voice high pitched.

Brick interrupted her before she started spilling out piles of excuses. "Can you read them to yourself?"

Slowly, Blossom nodded. It was a good thing she was so smart; she could probably understand that he was asking something more along the lines of, _'Is your thoughts a safe place, or can they hear that too, whoever the hell 'they' are?'_ rather than just one normal question.

"Good. Then don't worry 'bout talking through it, Ariel." He held up his hands, one finger held up on the left and two on the right. "One for yes, two for no."

Blossom opened her mouth, then closed it. "Why?" she asked after a slight pause, straightening her spine, elbows placed delicately on the table in front of them. If there was one thing she was good at, it was regaining her composure. He looked like a slug compared to her.

"I like to gain context before getting into things. Ya know, like any scientist." His notebook, which he snagged from the shelves at home, was flipped to a new, clean page. He wrote the date at the top along with some random words about school and homework, but he knew what it really was: a mermaid list. That was new for him.

"I thought you said you were gonna be an inventor." She raised an eyebrow. It was astounding she remembered that. He knew the whole mermaid discovery happened yesterday, but he thought she wouldn't really care about what he had to say about himself. "Don't you major in computer engineering?" Also surprising she somewhat knew that. He didn't know her major until yesterday.

"Computer _and_ electrical engineering. And my creations require science. Thus, I'm a scientist."

"Touché, Jojo. But I'm not some science project."

"Never said you were, but if the horseshoe fits, then so be it." Brick couldn't help but chuckle under his breath, especially at her look. Blossom was a feisty one, that was for sure; she refused to back down without a fight. He always found it fun to have tiny debates, especially with somebody so like-minded yet so different. "Consider this less like a science project and more of a way for me to get to know you. If it makes you feel better, I'll let you ask as many questions as I ask you at any time you want."

Blossom looked him in the eye. Behind her thick-framed glasses, he could see the tiniest traces of pink swirling within the light brown as the bright sunlight shone in their direction. He knew he wasn't very interesting, so his proposition probably didn't mean much to her. She was a fucking _mermaid_ for crying out loud; that's the definition of interesting. Still, he could detect something that looked a bit like curiosity in his eyes.

"Alright, let's do this." There looked like there was more Blossom wanted to say, but she simply left it at that. Understandable. This was like a lighter version of blackmail; even though Brick wasn't going to rat her out, she couldn't trust him, and he couldn't blame her. He _was_ a Jojo after all, and apparently, that fact was a reason enough.

Blossom looked down at the paper, raising one hand up. Brick didn't need the questions in front of him. He could remember them by heart. _Were you born this way? Do small amounts of water affect you? Are there rules you have to follow? Can disobeying those rules harm you? Can they harm more than you? Are you being followed?_ She raised one finger, two, one, one, one, and, after a moment of thought, a grimace into what looked to be a three.

 _'Fascinating.'_ In between writing numbers in his notebook, Brick couldn't help but jot down his thoughts. ' _Quick to respond.' 'Slightly hesitant with question six. Also confusing.' 'Seems to be just as invested as I am in all this.'_ His wrist burned like crazy. This was as fast as he wrote in Finite Math when Dr. Doran refused to slow down her presentation slides, even though just about the entire class complained to her about it. This time, however, he was having a bit of fun. Distractions from reality were only temporary, but he'd be damned if he didn't have a good time when the opportunity presented itself.

"Brick Jojo!"

Brick couldn't hide the disgust on his face due to the voice. "Shit," he muttered. Out of all times, Princess would choose this one to bother him. It was if she knew the worst moments to be a pest. " _What_ Princess?" he asked as she approached them, a scowl on his face. He shut his notebook while Blossom neatly folded the list, sliding it back to him. He could feel some eyes from other students looking their way. Princess always brought unwanted attention wherever she went. It was good that he wrote what he mainly wanted to know from Blossom before Princess arrived; otherwise, he would have really lost it.

"You know what," Princess replied simply. As if she were invited and welcomed, she sat onto a chair right next to Brick. She then shoved her golden tape recorder straight towards Brick's lips. "I just want you to talk about what happened at Sunset Beach. It'd be a great story to cover."

"Once again, I don't want to." It took everything in him to not be as rude as he wanted to. Instead, he lowered her hand away from his face.

Princess let out a whine. It was hard to believe that not only was she an adult but an older adult than him. "Look," she said, digging into her huge purse, "I'm willing to give you something you want for something I want."

Brick's brain automatically went to one thought, and he gagged at it. "The hell? No. Never in this lifetime."

Princess looked just as disgusted. "Ugh, I didn't mean sex. Get your head out of the gutter, you pig! I should punch you in the eye, but it seems somebody already beat me to it."

"Hah." A laugh never sounded as forced as his at that moment. Brick wasn't embarrassed for others to see his eye. It wasn't the first bruise he had. Makeup could've worked (Boomer even offered to do it), but he decided to take the last free thirty minutes he had to take a nap. Sometimes, sacrifices had to be made to get some sleep.

Either Princess didn't notice the laugh, or she just didn't care enough to comment on it. "I meant money, by the way. Enough to help you out." He could see the way she twiddled with her wallet, how thick it was. It was almost tempting. Almost. "You and your rowdy brothers still live towards Citiesville, right? Not an ideal neighborhood if you ask me. Very high crime rate, even higher death rates. Not to mention your _poor_ car."

Brick didn't like the way she said that to him, as if he were some pitiful dog on the street. Her words weren't even sincere. At the end of the day, Princess Morbucks only cared for one person: herself. "I promise you, there is nothing in this world I care for less than your words right now. So, can you go away? Blossom and I are trying to talk." Brick gestured towards Blossom, who watched the scene unfold with an unreadable look on her face.

Princess crossed her arms. "No."

Before Brick could speak on how much of a damn child she was acting like, Blossom's voice came out. "I think you should respect his privacy." She folded her hands and stared across the table at Princess, her expression turning stern. "Princess, right? Brick's pretty dead set on not saying anything. You should, I don't know, respect that? How would you feel if someone asked you questions you didn't want to answer?"

Brick stared at the girl in front of him. She seemed to be rather quiet most of the time, almost like a tiny mouse, but now, she was bold and firm like a lion. That was interesting. _Very_ interesting.

For the first time, Princess took the time to acknowledge the other person at the table. She scanned Blossom, hateful judgment in her eyes, lips puckered. The two stared each other down, and Brick concluded that this was some sort of womanly argument that he would never understand, no matter how hard he tried.

After a while, Princess scoffed, breaking eye contact. "Oh, you're one to talk about respect. You never stop clicking your pen in American Lit class, Brittany."

Unlike Princess, Blossom still looked calm and collected. It was honestly impressive; not a lot of people could handle Princess at any level. "It's Blossom," she corrected. "And I'm sorry I do that, but—"

"Yeah, I'm just as sorry, Bethany. But _anyway_ ," Princess's hair swished over her shoulder dramatically as she turned to face Brick again, "back to you. Something's off. You're hiding something, something big enough that you won't tell me just to make me go away. And I'm gonna find out what the hell it is."

With a long sigh, Brick pinched his nose. Princess owned an entire news station and wasn't afraid to put that out there any time something exciting happened in Townsville. Typically, "something exciting" included him in one way or another. He knew all too well that unlike other moments, though, she wasn't going to back off anytime soon this time.

"Okay." That was all Brick could say. He was already exhausted due to a lack of sleep; he didn't need the brat to make things worse for him.

Princess glared at him. She looked like she wanted to say a series of threats. "I'm serious, Brick. I'm a transparent reporter who wants to tell her audience all she knows. I find out everything that's happening in this city." Her gaze shifted to Blossom. " _Everything_ ," she repeated with a little more bass in her voice.

The wind picked up then. It whipped through Brick's hair, almost tossing his cap off. The trees shook, the orange and yellow leaves dancing through the air. And for a split second, Brick felt like he was back at Sunset Sea. He couldn't see it, but he could feel it all around him: the crashing waves, the smell of the sea, the sound of seagulls.

But just as quickly as it started, everything stopped.

Underneath the table, Brick's hands shook. Everybody around him was acting like everything was normal, as if they didn't see what the hell he just saw. Even Blossom and Princess seemed unaffected; they were more into their second stare down of the day. He rubbed his eyes, making sure to wipe the crust from the corners. He really had to start getting more sleep; his mind was going wild or something.

Princess pulled her chair out, making sure to scrape it against the concrete ground below them for a second longer than needed. "Have fun with your little girlfriend or whatever," she announced, shrugging her purse on one of her shoulders. "I'll be back. And I'll be watching." And with that, she walked away.

Brick smacked his teeth, the previous moments instantly flying away from his brain. "Stalking is, like, definitely illegal here and damn near anywhere in this country, but alright. Whatever floats your boat." He knew that threat was empty. The Morbucks family practically owned Townsville along with any sort of law force. Princess didn't even bother to turn back around to hear him clearly. Everyone knew that she got away with most things. This would be no different.

Brick turned back to Blossom. She continued to stare at Princess, a slight frown on her face. Somehow, he knew was she was thinking: _'She's going to be a problem.'_

"Don't worry about Princess, okay? She's just annoying as hell. Besides, she's mostly focused on me 'cause of what happened when my bros and I, well, you know." Brick let out a small laugh through his nose, trying to wash away all thoughts of the incident. "She'll get bored soon enough."

Blossom let out a large exhale. "I know," she replied. Her face looked like she knew, but it sounded like she didn't know at all.

This would usually be the time where Brick would conveniently have something to do. He'd make up a random excuse to leave the awkwardness. However, he felt like he had to say something, at least to her. "I never got to thank you for that, did I?" he asked. "That whole thing at Sunset. So. Thanks."

Blossom's face melted into a gentle smile. Her dimples weren't very deep, but they were still noticeable enough for Brick to feel something weird in his gut. "Don't mention it. I just did what was right." She gave him a quick, supportive hand on his shoulder as she stood up. It was so unfamiliar to him, and typically, he'd move away from it. But Blossom's touch was different. It felt warm, genuine. "Well, I gotta go, or else I'll be late to class. Catch you around?"

Absentmindedly, Brick nodded. He watched as she packed her things, making sure all was in order. There was no hesitation in her movements. He wondered what that would be like, to be confident and sure about his actions.

"Do you wanna, like, grab a coffee or something next week?" The question escaped his mouth before he could even fully think about it. No confidence, no sureness, just a random thought from his brain coming to life. He visibly cringed. No need to drop it now that he said it aloud. "My treat. I'll even let you get an extra snack, as long as it's less than two dollars," he half-joked, though he was mostly being honest. He barely had enough money to be offering a coffee; he already had to scrape by to afford his own twice a week.

"Why? You don't have to do this, you know." Blossom raised an eyebrow, still organizing her items. "The thank you is just fine."

"Because I'm..." Brick tried to continue the sentence, but he couldn't. That word stuck in his brain and refused to budge: _sorry._ Even though she seemed like she would never blame him for what happened, he felt a bit bad. He wasn't one for saying sorry. When he was younger, sorries didn't really mean anything; they were just fuel for teasing. Nowadays, teasing didn't affect him as much, but he still bit his tongue any time he tried to own up to his mistakes. "Pops always taught me to show gratitude for those who've helped me," he decided to say instead. "A thank you ain't enough for what you did, and this is the least I can do."

Blossom's silence along with her blank stare in his direction was honestly an unsettling combination to look at. Maybe she really wanted him to apologize or something. Maybe she knew that she deserved one at that moment. Right when he got the courage to at the very least mutter something, she replied. "Yeah. Sure. When?" She zipped up her bag, placing the bright pink straps over her shoulders.

Honestly, he didn't think he'd get this far. His hands fumbled with his phone, almost dropping it. Luckily, it didn't look like Blossom noticed. He opened his calendar app, glancing at the many marks of red. He wasn't the most organized, but he at least kept a neat-ish layout of his calendar. "Next Monday?" he suggested. "I'm free the whole day."

Blossom shook her head. "Nah, I have a debate club meeting, and that fries my brain. How about next Thursday, same time as now?"

"This is my last free Thursday for a while. Wednesday?"

"I'm visiting home. Tuesday?"

"Never on a Taco Tuesday; that's for me and the bros. Next Friday? I can squeeze you in the morning before my ten o'clock class."

Blossom looked up in thought, then nodded. "Friday morning," she agreed. "Yeah. That works."

"Cool." Brick let out a short breath of relief. "Do you wanna, like, I don't know, keep in contact? 'Cause you're somewhat cool. I mean, I'm cooler definitely and also funnier but—"

"Just say you want my number, Brick." With a roll of her eyes, Blossom snatched Brick's phone from his hand. Quickly, she entered her number, then tossed it back to him. It was a pretty generic contact; it had her number and her full name. "There. I like memes, FYI, so I expect that as your first message to me Mr. Funny Guy."

"Luckily, I'm Meme King." Brick instantly regretted those words. That was _lame._ That was so lame, he visibly cringed. But she laughed anyway. Guess her sense of humor was just as bad as his. "So, uh, yeah. Thanks for answering my questions," he said, the words tumbling out of his mouth like a bad case of word vomit.

"Didn't have much of a choice, did I?" Blossom said sarcastically.

"You kinda did have a choice, and you made it." Brick shrugged. It wasn't like he was forcing her to do what he said. She could easily turn this whole thing against him. Blossom Utonium was not dumb; in fact, she was probably smarter than him by a mile.

Her face looked a bit shocked by the bluntness of his answer. Yet somehow, she also wore a look of understanding. "You're right. I did, didn't I..." She gave him one last glance before turning towards Hines Center. "Anyway. See you next Friday, Brick." She gave him a simple wave before taking her leave.

Even though she couldn't see him anymore, Brick waved back anyway. "See ya."

Blossom strolled down the pebbled pathway, the sounds of her heels fading. Each of her steps looked calculated, each rock of her hips natural, each strand of her hair somehow staying neat as it swished from left to right. Her signature red bow on the top of her head was almost like a crown. In Brick's eyes, she looked powerful. Too powerful.

Brick tried not to think too hard about her in that way.

* * *

Brick hated working on Thursdays.

It was like no matter what time he started his shift, a rush-hour always happened. Everyone who was a local in Townsville knew that Holly's had a sixty percent off sale on a large selection of their clothes every Thursday. And with each rush-hour came impatient customers who would bombard him with questions on where things were when there were signs above them that _clearly_ led the way. The last time Brick said something along those lines, he had heard a handful from the manager and received a warning. Three more of those, and he would be out of a job.

So, despite his true feelings, he would always plaster on a neutral look, make his voice as polite as possible, and give the most detailed explanation out there. He was a master at making something longer than needed, thanks to the twenty paged essays he had to write back in high school. Sure, most customers were annoyed, but it was fair payback. Besides, it's not like they can say he didn't do his job.

Working in the changing room inside the mall wasn't ideal, especially because the bus was now the only affordable method to get there, but it was the only thing he and Boomer could snag. Butch was lucky enough to score at a men's shoe store close to their home, but that was because he actually knew how to sweet talk the owner. Funny how Butch could do that without any complications, yet had trouble not calling other people in higher positions a 'booty muncher' or whatever the hell he said.

The good thing about working with Boomer was that he did what he was supposed to with no complaints or whining or calling people 'booty munchers.' Plus, when customers asked questions, he took over. He probably knew his older brother couldn't stand most people.

The only bad thing was that Boomer would talk too damn much.

"I see you've been hanging out with Blossom." There it was, the random conversation starter. Their shifts would always start quietly, only for Boomer to completely ruin it. It was the worst thing, especially on a Thursday.

Brick shrugged. "I have," he replied, leaning on the back legs of the wooden chair he sat on. That should kill the conversation.

"Okay," Boomer replied. His hands rapidly worked at folding clothes.

Alright, maybe it wouldn't kill the conversation. Boomer was so readable. Either that or Brick was just an expert on all things about his younger brother. And even though he wanted to ignore it, he just couldn't. Brick was never good at dropping things that are said out loud, especially when it came to his siblings. "There's more you want to say," he stated bluntly.

"Not really. I just knew you two would get along is all." Without looking up from his work, Boomer raised one of his hands, pointing to the left. "Aisle two, ma'am!" he shouted before stacking another pair of pants into a neat pile.

Brick looked up and saw an elderly woman waving in their direction. "Thank you!" she exclaimed happily, heading towards her intended destination. How Boomer was able to multitask like that, Brick would never understand. He could barely start at the task given to him now.

"How'd you figure?" Brick asked instead of focusing on Boomer's weird talent. "That Blossom and I would "get along," or whatever."

Boomer ran a hand through his dirty blond hair. The dye was fading, and his natural black hair was starting to show more. He was probably waiting a week or two before dying it again. "Well, when Bubbs talks about her, she goes on and on about how good of a person she is. Top student, honors, perfect attendance, flawless record. You know, all that jazz."

Brick huffed impatiently. Why was it so hard for Boomer to get to the point? "What's this gotta do with me? I'm not that good of a person," he stated bluntly.

"True. You're not." Boomer flinched once Brick landed a solid punch on his arm. "Ow! At least I told the truth!" he whined, rubbing the sore spot. Brick rolled his eyes. It shouldn't have hurt that much. "Besides, that's the point," Boomer continued. "You two are the same yet different. She's like, I don't know, the sun to your moon, helps you create an eclipse. Get what I mean?"

"Not really." Brick was lying. It kind of did make sense. Well, he couldn't really visualize himself as the moon, but he _could_ see Blossom as the sun. No matter what she was doing, she always looked so high and mighty, like she was the center of the universe. But she had every right to carry herself that way. She was important and she knew it; she wasn't afraid to show that.

Boomer let out a slight laugh. "Me neither. I was just spouting random poetry bullshit to practice for class. Oh, and speaking of class, lemme tell you about today 'cause this is wild. So—"

Brick's brain immediately shut Boomer out as he glanced at his phone. He unlocked it, and Blossom's name and contact information still shined on the screen. For some strange reason, it didn't seem fitting to have it like that. His thumbs quickly moved on their own, erasing her name and replacing it with a single word: ' _Sunshine.'_

It was only a nickname for her. Brick concluded that as he pressed save on the contact information. Friends or frenemies gave each other nicknames all the time. He just wouldn't say it aloud to her face. Secret nicknames were _definitely_ a thing that existed. She probably had a ton of secret nicknames for him.

"Bro, can you stop texting and help me with these shirts?" Boomer elbowed Brick in the gut, knocking his brother from his trance. He was lucky to do that action at that moment in this setting. Any other time, Brick would've thrown him across the room. "They're not gonna fold themselves and I am not doing all the work today. You're lucky I did the pants."

Brick quickly stuffed his phone in his pocket. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make his cheeks cool down. "Whatever," he grumbled, grabbing a handful of shirts before getting to work.

Boomer only smiled. There was still so much he wanted to say, so much he probably knew. He told an unreadable story with his deep blue eyes, but he didn't say another word.

And just like that, the conversation died. There was no reason to bring it back.

Brick huffed. His brother was so fucking complicated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Happy Mermay everyone! You didn't expect me to be back so early, did you? Well, me neither! :'D I pushed myself to write a lot more than usual, mostly because I'm still working out how I want to write the next chapter, which might take a bit more time than usual. Hopefully, this chapter will suffice for the time being!
> 
> Once again, thank you for reading, bookmarking, kudo...ing. Everything! All of these motivate me to keep going. And mark my words, I'm going to finish this story and not leave you guys hanging for too long. I know what it feels like to be left on a cliffhanger and it HURTS—
> 
> Anyway, hope you've all been doing well! Thanks for reading, stay safe, and until next time~ :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Brick Jojo: so u wanna be a teacher right?**

**Brick Jojo: hear me out**

**Brick Jojo: u should teach subtraction**

**Brick Jojo: and that way u can make….**

**Brick Jojo: (wait for it)**

**Brick Jojo: …a difference**

Blossom stifled a laugh. That was _so_ bad, the worst joke in a text she had ever waited to receive, yet somehow, it was also her favorite.

Deep down, she knew how life-threatening this situation was. There was no avoiding the truth. Someone knew her secret. Someone could take that secret and make her already paranoid life into an even more paranoid life. But… it didn't seem like he was going to tell. In fact, it seemed like he didn't care at all. That was both relieving and terrifying all at once.

Brick Jojo was a weird man, and Blossom didn't know how to think of him. So, at least at that moment, she didn't think. She only lived in the present moment, refusing to acknowledge what the future could hold. If ignorance truly were a bliss, she was going to bask in it for as long as she could before it came biting her in the ass.

Her thumbs tapped against her phone screen quickly, giving a simple response: _'I'm trying to be an English teacher. Nice bad joke, though.'_

"Who're you texting?"

Blossom looked to her right and was met by her sister's baby blue eyes. Bubbles was giving her a smile that gave off the vibe that she knew whoever it was happened to be a boy _._ The blonde was so boy crazy, it was honestly kind of terrifying, though it also made some sense. In their previous home, boys were a rare sight to see—Blossom herself had only seen four before coming on land, not that she was counting or anything—so to see so many of them was still bizarre to this day. Even though Bubbles had lowered down on her "boy addiction" tremendously, it was still enough for Blossom to take notice.

Blossom shrugged, deciding to wear a bit of innocence. "A friend," she replied vaguely.

With a roll of her eyes, Buttercup elbowed Blossom on the side with enough force to make her jump a little in surprise. "Uh, _duh._ Which one?" Buttercup asked, trying to peer over her older sister's shoulder.

"Yeah, which one, Bloss?" Bubbles repeated teasingly, doing the same.

Blossom's back curved as she hid her phone's screen near her stomach. "I don't kiss and tell, girls—stop it Buttercup!" she laughed out, twitching as Buttercup tickled her neck. It took everything in her to not roll off the hood of her car and down onto the school's parking lot.

"Oh, so you're _kissing_ now?" Buttercup teased with a snicker. "What happened to 'no boys before graduating?'"

Blossom slapped Buttercup's hands away from her, rolling her eyes. "Shut up; it's a figure of speech and you know it."

Bubbles raised an eyebrow. "A figure of speech about…?" she dragged on, her head resting comfortably on her hands.

It was clear that her sisters were being nosey again. There wasn't a chance in hell Blossom was going to keep this piece of information to herself, not if she valued her neck and sides enough to not want to be tickled again. She paused a bit before finally letting it out in the air. "Brick," she admitted slowly.

"Jojo? Boomer's brother? The one you were _so_ worked up about last week?" Despite her sarcastic tone, Buttercup looked a little bit surprised and a little bit suspicious. "Wow. Shocker."

"What can I say? He's not that bad. He's… funny," Blossom replied, ready for this conversation to end.

However, it did not. "Funny," Bubbles repeated, a knowing smile on her face. "Yeah. Okay."

Blossom rolled her eyes. "Don't. Don't you dare." The smile on the blonde's face only grew wider. "Bubbles, I am serious!" Blossom exclaimed, giving her shoulder a playful shove.

"I'm not doing anything." Bubbles raised up her hands in defense, her smile twitching. "I'm just gonna throw it out there and say that this is exactly how you used to act like with Elmer when we were kids."

A gasp escaped Buttercup. "You're right, it is!" she shouted, then covered her face as she howled in laughter, blending in perfectly with Bubbles. "Holy shit, it's so hard to breathe!" she cried out, unable to contain her laughs.

Out of all implications, this one felt like the worst. Blossom Utonium didn't have crushes, not anymore. The one on Elmer happened to be one of those weird junior high school crushes her mind decided to have after the boy made her a well-made flower out of only one piece of construction paper and glue (which she shamefully still had and marveled at to this day). It wasn't like she was swearing off love or anything; she wanted to focus on obtaining her degree before even thinking about including another person in her life. It was already hard enough to balance her current relationships and her schoolwork. She couldn't see herself getting into anything romantic anytime soon.

Blossom's eyes drifted to the clock tower that held the wrong time. Mental math aside, she knew they were going to run late if they sat here with the two laughing at her expense. "Whatever," she sighed, sliding off the hood of the car and climbing into the driver's seat, "just get in the car, both of you. We've got to get a move on, or our withdrawals will get too bad."

That seemed to be a good reason enough for the two to lower down with the giggles. "You got it, leader!" Buttercup exclaimed with a grin. She turned to look at Blossom through the car's windshield before she gave a stiff salute, one she's been giving to Blossom since they were little girls playing Sea Captain. Being the oldest, Blossom was, of course, always the leader.

"All packed?" Blossom asked once the two were in the car.

Bubbles gave a thumbs up. "Yup!"

Buttercup shrugged. "Hopefully. We'll see; I'm too lazy at this point to double-check in my room. It's a waste of time anyway."

As always, Blossom was ready to go into another spiel on the importance of double, even triple-checking your things before any trip because it was necessary and important. However, the feel of her phone vibrating distracted her. Her eyes practically darted to the screen, already expecting Brick's messages.

**Brick Jojo: english? does that mean bad grammar scares u?**

**Brick Jojo: Shit. Let me correct myself. Sorry, Ariel.**

Blossom couldn't help it. She had to let out a silent giggle. The 'silent' part of the giggle did not work out well in her favor. Bubbles caught her eye through the rear-view mirror, a smirk on her face. " _Super funny,"_ the blonde snickered out, and Buttercup immediately blew a singular laugh through her nose.

The red on Blossom's cheeks couldn't be hidden even if she tried. "Hush or you're never getting in the passenger seat again!" she argued, placing her phone deep within her pants pocket.

That was a slight low blow. Everyone knew Bubbles loved the passenger seat way more than any other seat in the car. "Alright, I quit!" she exclaimed with a pout that refused to leave her face, even when Blossom placed on her sunglasses, started the car, and pulled off onto the road.

Blossom had the best car. It made sense, considering she got the best grades and therefore received the better awards. She was usually stuck with driving them and herself to and from their home deep within the suburbs of Townsville, but since they always split the cost of gas, Blossom didn't mind this much. In fact, she really liked to drive. It reminded her of swimming in a way. Her hair whipping behind her shoulder, the world moving faster than she could track, and the beautiful sights were more than enough to keep her at peace.

Their house was a solid twenty-minute drive into the central part of the city, but the morning traffic always made it around thirty-five minutes. When Blossom finally pulled into the driveway of the familiar white home, she sighed in satisfaction, hanging her sunglasses back up. "We're here girls," she announced, already knowing the statement fell on deaf ears. Her sisters always fell asleep during the ride to and from home. Instinctively, she popped one of Buttercup's earphones out with one hand and tapped Bubbles's knee twice with the other.

"Huh!?" Bubbles sprung up, so much so that she almost hit the top of the car, while Buttercup calmly slid up with a grunt of disapproval. Somehow, both siblings had a bad case of bedhead. To this day, Blossom had no clue how the two could get such messy hair in a matter of minutes from simply lying still.

"We're here," Blossom started, getting out of the car to open the trunk. "Come and help me with our stuff."

Letting out a big yawn, Buttercup waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry, I got 'em all." When Blossom and Bubbles gave her a look that read, "are you sure?" she nodded. "Coach says I'm lacking, so I gotta get some more exercise in," Buttercup explained, exiting the car.

"Okay, thank you Buttercup!" Bubbles grinned, hopping out of her seat to stretch. She closed the black door like she always did: with a little too much force that made the other two cringe a bit. However, Bubbles didn't notice. "Home sweet home," she sighed happily instead, staring up at the house.

The Utonium household wasn't the biggest house on the block, but it was pretty close to it. Built back in the mid-90s and renovated a few years back, it was a nice sized two-story home set with modern furniture throughout. There wasn't anything too striking with the outside view of it, though the front yard held a new garden, where sunflowers slowly started to wither due to the change of weather.

The most striking thing about the home, at least in Blossom's opinion, were the three huge windows adorning the top of it. They were built the same week they moved in with the Professor, and she's loved them ever since. It always reminded her of how welcomed and accepted she felt there.

Buttercup took a small moment to lean against the vehicle. "Damn, I've missed it here," she mused before lifting all their items at once. Her muscles twitched slightly as her grip tightened a bit. It was impressive how she could walk towards the door without losing her balance.

Bubbles giggled. "It's only been two weeks since our last visit." Using both of her hands, she stared into the car's wing mirror, removing her blue and white scrunchies and placing them on her wrist. It didn't take her long to tidy herself up, settling with keeping her wavy blonde hair down.

"Two weeks too long!" Buttercup called behind her. Once she reached the doorstep, she used her elbow to ring the doorbell, refusing to let go of all the luggage. By the time Blossom and Bubbles reached the door, they could hear footsteps approaching. A huge smile spread on Buttercup's face once she saw an elder man exit the house. "Hey Professor!" she greeted loudly.

The Professor wasn't _that_ old, though he was starting to get a few grey hairs here and there and his walking was starting to become a tad bit slower than usual. He was technically taller than all of them, but his posture made him look around Buttercup's height. Blossom felt like every time they came home, he lost a little bit of height. She really felt the need to get him a back brace sometime, just to help him out a little. The man stayed in his lab's computer chair for far too many hours in a day; a human could only bear so much.

When Professor held his arms out, the three of them covered him in the tightest hugs. "Well look who's home again. My perfect little girls," he said happily. "It's so good to see you all safe and well." If there was one thing about him, it was that he loved a good hug, especially from the little girls he's raised for the past ten years.

"We're twenty-one," Blossom corrected as they broke their hug. "Little doesn't apply anymore."

Professor raised an eyebrow. "It applies as long as you stay in this house."

"We stay in our dorm for most of the year now. Does that mean we're only little when we're home?" Blossom smirked.

"Your smart mouth is a blessing and a curse." Giving a sarcastic smile, Professor pinched Blossom's cheek enough for it to sting a little. They all laughed. "You girls all packed, right?" Professor asked as they traveled indoors.

"All packed and ready for the day." With a satisfied look, Buttercup plopped all three suitcases near the steps.

"She says that, but she didn't even double-check her own things." Before she could truly feel Buttercup's wrath, which would have been a quick yet hard slap on her arm, Bubbles bolted to the steps, grabbed her items, and ran straight to her room. "Thanks, sis!" she shouted, refusing to turn back.

The look on Buttercup's face was priceless, and it took everything in Blossom to not laugh as loudly as she wanted to. Despite her sweet nature, Bubbles was an absolute pro when it came to teasing, well, anybody. The blonde didn't even have to try; it came to her naturally.

"She's right," Blossom confirmed, deciding to pick up where Bubbles left off. "Buttercup said it's a 'waste of time' to double-check. Funny how she switches up as soon as we're home."

However, Buttercup didn't glare at her or frown. Instead, she smirked, and that look meant nothing good. "Since we're talking about 'switch-ups'," she started, "Blossom's talking to a _boy_!" Swiftly, she escaped the scene, grabbing her suitcase and traveling towards her room.

There was a moment of silence, a moment where one would have been able to hear a pin drop onto the carpeted floor beneath their feet. "A… boy?" Professor asked quietly, growing a terrifying look in his eye.

The Utonium sisters didn't and would never understand why, but Professor was always very vocal about his opinion of boys (and, in Buttercup's case, boys _and_ girls). Blossom guessed that it could be the loving, overprotective nature of a typical parent who only wanted the best future for their child. That would be okay if Professor didn't take that loving, overprotectiveness, and multiplied it by fifty.

Under her breath, Blossom muttered a quick, "oh no." She knew that was her cue to go up the stairs and not look back. She traveled up in twos, tripping over the sixth step like always, but not enough to completely stop her. Turning sharply, she entered her room and slammed her door shut.

She could hear Professor's disdain from up the stairs. "No, wait! What boy? What's his name? Is he in school? _Does he have a job and a good GPA!?_ " Professor called up the stairs. Predictably, he was met with no response.

* * *

The perks of having a guardian with an IQ higher than anyone could imagine is that he could do so much in such little time. Within two days that consisted of many energy drinks and eye drops, he was able to make a pool that equivalated the sea, so much so that it was hard to tell the difference. Spanning throughout the entirety of their backyard, it felt as close to the sea as anything else in the world. And for Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, it was all theirs to enjoy in complete privacy.

A satisfied sigh escaped Blossom as she lied on her back, eyes closed and arms sprawled. Her tail lazily swished across the water, guiding her in sloppy circles. The backyard pool was absolutely nothing like the pool at school. Sure, she was able to at least get rid of the basic crave of swimming in the school's pool. But here, she could be free without worrying about red-headed, cap wearing boys coming out of nowhere and discovering her tail. It was absolutely exhilarating, to say the least.

Bubbles sprung up from under the water, her light blue tail sparkling in the sunlight even from below. Her entire aura was as bright as the light shining outdoors, and her smile was wider than she should have been able to make it. "Felt like I was _suffocating_ with the water withdrawal. Maybe two weeks was too long…" she dragged out.

"See? Told you." Playfully, Buttercup flicked some water onto Bubbles using her strong, lime green tail. She floated aimlessly as her upper body held onto a dragon floaty, her short jet-black hair tossed any which way. "Our tub at the suite is complete ass compared to this. Wish we could swim more often."

Blossom only floated in silence, staring blankly at one of the many clouds in the sky. It was hard to tell her sisters that she went the extra mile and snuck around sometimes to get rid of the constant nagging in her brain to swim for those few sweet, comforting minutes. It felt like betrayal in a way. Blossom couldn't imagine how she'd feel if she waited the full week before getting to dip in a body of water again. She didn't even know how her past self got through school before college with the number of hours she spent away from water.

Bubbles spoke up. "Hey, Bloss. Do you ever miss it?" The soft voice broke Blossom out of her thoughts, and Blossom turned her head to the blonde's direction. "The sea," Bubbles elaborated. "Life above is amazing, and this pool is more than we could've asked for, but you know. Still." Her lips settled into a bittersweet smile.

Blossom returned the expression, sitting up so that she was floating upright. Out of all the sisters, Bubbles talked about their previous home the most. It was the way she coped Blossom had noticed, and Blossom respected that.

"Of course, I miss the sea," Blossom admitted. "Every single day."

The way Blossom saw her love for the sea was like a song written out for her eye alone. Notes continuously floated around her, strong, passionate, and never-ending. It might have been a weird thing to explain to others, but to her and her sisters, it felt like home.

Now it was a home they could never fully return to.

Blossom's eyes stared down into the depths below. None of them knew how deep the pool went (Professor refused to tell them out of playfulness), and to this day, they haven't fully explored the entire thing. "I'm so sorry." The words escaped her quicker than she could process them. "If I didn't—"

Buttercup stopped her sister before she could keep going. "No. Don't you dare apologize." Her green eyes were like knives being held at her throat. Somehow, they were knives of love. "You were protecting us. You took a sacrifice and did what you thought was right." She let go of the floaty and swam over to Blossom, placing a tough hand on her shoulder. For extra measure, she squeezed her shoulder, staring into her eyes with a serious expression.

There weren't a lot of times Buttercup put on her mature hat, but when she did, she was brilliant at it. And the woman played absolutely no games when she was serious. She was great at making Blossom feel a little less bad like that.

Bubbles swam just as fast as Buttercup did, placing Blossom's hands into her own. "And you did it. We escaped. We're _free_ ," Bubbles stressed. Her hands were extra soft even with the scales, probably due to her daily exfoliating process. "You did a great thing that day, Blossom, and Buttercup and I are so appreciative. Don't ever forget that." Her hands traveled to Blossom's face, cupping her chubby cheeks in her hands.

The two left her alone after that, and they all floated in complete and utter silence. That was how they worked sometimes. They had a moment, talked for a bit, then left each other to their own thoughts. Sometimes, it was better to be alone in thought but together in person.

Blossom played her sisters' words on repeat. _Don't ever forget that,_ Bubbles had said to her mere moments ago. And she couldn't forget. She couldn't even if someone tried to force herself to. It was why they were here, why they were granted both the blessing and curse of freedom.

But no matter how much she couldn't forget, and no matter how appreciative her sisters were, Blossom still felt an endless sea of guilt in the deepest pits of her stomach.

* * *

That night, Blossom had a dream.

Blossom didn't have dreams often. In fact, she barely noticed that she fell asleep until the next morning rolled over. But when she did dream, they were always vivid, as if she were really there.

The first thing she noticed was many, many fish. Schools of fish swam all around her, as if she were some goddess instead of a lowly mermaid. They brushed their small tails against her face, and she couldn't help but smile, a warm feeling spreading through her.

Next, she noticed a younger version of her sisters. They were bickering about something, probably who got to keep their next discovery: a strange item that kind of looked like an anemone attached to a sturdy handle made of the same material that came from the sunken ships below. She knew that soon, they would look at her, expecting her to choose a side. And when they did glance in her direction, they explained, "That's what the Sea Captain _has_ to do: make the toughest decisions with a bright smile!"

Blossom rolled her eyes, laughing softly. She'd never tell them that she secretly kept track of who got it last. Since Buttercup received the one strange item that could somehow show themselves from another realm a few weeks back, Bubbles would receive the anemone-like object. "Well in that case," Blossom started, "I think this time, it should go to—"

" _The Sea Captain, eh?_ " a voice questioned in amusement, and the three of them froze in terror. Even if their eyes didn't dart upwards, they knew who was there. It was the reason life wasn't always as innocent and fun as it should have been back then. _Him._

Nobody knew His true name. It hadn't been uttered for eons, lost with the flow of time, so they only addressed Him as such. It was a simple name for a terrifying creature. He always wore a crooked smile on His blood-red face, even when He was angry beyond belief, and His eyes always flashed with something deadlier than malice. The King of the Waters was known to frighten all who saw Him, and the sisters had seen Him a fair amount of times in their lives to know the true extent His fear could bring to their hearts.

Blossom felt a heavy yet familiar force on her back, one that made her bow down. From the corner of her eye, she could see her sisters follow suit. "Good evening, Him," Blossom spoke calmly in greeting, but she couldn't stop her trembling. They weren't supposed to be traveling here. Low-classed mermaids were required to stay in their designated areas unless they received special permission. But because the girls finished their tasks for that day, Blossom thought that a little adventure near the sunken ships would be a quick, enlightening, and fun activity.

What a stupid idea.

"W-We were—" Bubbles started, but it was too late. The stutter was a clear indication that the three of them were up to no good in His eyes.

" _Sneaking around as always?_ " His little giggle was sickeningly sweet as if He were some sort of caring, elderly family member who was known for having the best cooking. " _Yes, I'm aware_. _You have done this more than once if I recall._ "

"Well, I wouldn't call it _sneaking_ ," Buttercup muttered, probably thinking she was quiet enough to get a pass. It was hard to even hear what she said.

But Him could hear all, could practically _see_ all. " _Don't lie to me, little girl_ , _"_ He growled, and Buttercup immediately shut her mouth tighter than she should have. Him's voice, which was much deeper, boomed into Blossom's ears, so much that she had no choice but to cover them, her eyes closing shut. She couldn't tell if the constant thundering was the echo of His voice or the beat of her heart. Either way, it hurt her all over.

Blossom didn't want to open her eyes. She knew what would happen if she did, knew what the dream would throw at her. But she couldn't stay blind, not forever. It had to be this way. It always had been, and always would be.

 _"You. 'Sea Captain.'_ " With a simple flick of His wrist, He was able to force Blossom's eyes wide open to the point where it burned. He paid no mind to the girl's pain. " _Since you're the little 'leader' or whatever you call it, I'm going to speak with you. Hear my words and hear them carefully. If I see you_ ," He started, pointing his dangerously sharp claw directly at her heart, then at her sisters', " _or your little crew even_ inches _away from the outskirts of your area ever again, I will not hesitate to teach you all a lesson that you will not forget._ "

Blossom knew what 'a lesson' meant. Everyone who knew the King of the Waters has heard about His infamous lessons. The last mermaid who was forced to participate in one did not return from it, and some say the last they heard from her were her screams of pain and terror that carried throughout the entirety of the sea for what seemed like days.

Him continued to speak. " _I have given you all more than enough chances, so this will be my last warning to all of you. Do I make myself clear?_ "

Blossom opened her mouth to answer, but she found it to be too difficult. Others would always say that she was quick on her feet. When it came to Him, however, all thoughts seemed to float away.

" _Words, girl_." Him's voice was beginning to turn angry again, and that only meant danger.

Blossom's eyes quickly darted to her left, then to her right. In those fast moments, she could see her sisters almost quivering. Bubbles looked like she wanted to scream, and even though Buttercup was good at putting up a wall to hide her emotions, the wall cracked a little bit, showing how scared she was through her eyes.

If Blossom couldn't talk for herself, then she needed to talk for her sisters to keep them safe and alive. Her voice was quiet and afraid but enough to be heard. "Yes, Him."

Him's eyes shone with satisfaction. There was nothing He liked more than getting His way. " _Good girl_ ," He cheered, His voice shifting back into vanilla sweetness. " _Well, be a good crew and go back to where you belong._ Now."

Him clapped His claws together, then disappeared as quickly as He came. The sisters knew He was still watching them closely, even from afar. Blossom could specifically feel His glowing eyes taunt her, almost _begging_ her to try His patience again.

Silently, the three girls turned and swam as fast as they could back to their region, refusing to look back. Blossom floated between her sisters, holding tightly onto each of their trembling hands. It was a long moment of silence before Bubbles sniffled, then started to cry, her sobs traveling through the sea. Buttercup's head was turned away to the side, her posture stiff, but Blossom knew all too well that her toughest sister was letting out a few shaky breaths, trying to calm herself down as quickly as possible before she would check in to make sure the other two were okay.

From there, Blossom couldn't see anything in the dream anymore, entering her usual state of darkness. She could still feel so much, though. Pain, fear, unsureness—all those negative emotions swirled around her like ghosts that refused to leave their designated homes. And the main thing she couldn't ignore was the only positive thing she felt, the strongest one of them all: courage. Despite everything Blossom had ever learned, and despite all the potential dangers she knew would come her way, she was fully aware of what she had to do.

Even if it killed her.

* * *

On the day of her date with Brick—a _platonic_ date, not a _romantic_ one, because she barely knew the guy, even though Professor thought otherwise thanks to Buttercup—Blossom was exhausted, and it showed. She typically woke up bright and early with no indication that she was ever in a deep sleep, but ever since she had that dream back at her home, she couldn't sleep very well. Picking a café was quite possibly the best decision of her life. Though she didn't have a class anytime soon, she always took a good portion of Fridays to do a heavy load of studying. A quick pick-me-up was exactly what she needed.

She wasn't the biggest fan of this café, but that didn't mean she was going to complain about it. The Hive had a small yet nice selection of drinks, and their dark roast was the perfect solution for her drowsiness. After thanking the barista for completing her order, she carried her coffee carefully with both hands, settling at the table nearest the exit.

Brick sat across from her, already halfway through his drink, which happened to be a white chocolate frappe with… cinnamon sprinkles, graham crackers bits, chocolate chips, and whipped cream? A weird, overly sugary combination for the morning of all times. Blossom chose not to comment on it. To each their own.

"Dark, huh?" Brick asked, peering into her complimentary mug. "You don't add sugars or anything, just drink it straight up?"

"Yeah." Blossom first blew then took a sip of her coffee. Instantly, she grimaced once the taste hit her tongue and the roof of her mouth. Disgusting, like usual. "It tastes repulsive, but it's the only way I can wake up."

"Wow. Having to depend on unsweetened coffee? I hate that for you." As if he were wiping his mind from the very thought of a dark coffee, Brick took a small swig of his own, gulping it down then letting out a satisfied sigh. That look of satisfaction didn't stay forever, though, not when his phone started blaring an alarm. "Oh no," he muttered.

Blossom felt a frown fill her face. "What is it?" she asked, refusing to hide the worry in her voice.

" _Him_."

Blossom felt her blood run a bit cold at the word, pieces of her dream circling her for a split second. She could see familiar flashes of red, could hear the rush of the sea trying to overtake her. However, everything came to an abrupt stop once she saw a glimpse of Brick's phone screen, leaving her in a state of calm.

"Oh. Your brother," she sighed out, sounding a bit more relieved than she should have from the sight of a goofy picture of Butch as a caller ID tag.

Brick didn't seem to notice much, though. He groaned the longest groan Blossom had ever heard in her life (which is wild, considering that Buttercup let out groans that went on for _miles_ ) before picking up his phone.

"Yes, Butch?" A pause. "Well, how 'bout ya ask him to move?" Another pause, with a few shouts from the phone. His voice quieted down to a whisper that only Blossom could hear. "Then shove him away, I don't care! You're fuckin' twenty-one; learn to communicate! He's your brother! Didn't I tell you not to call me while—" There were more shouts from the phone. That moment seemed to be a perfect time for Brick to hang up.

"Siblings?" Blossom asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, _siblings_ ," Brick confirmed, placing his phone back on the table. "They're arguing over a seat on the couch again. They can't be _normal_ and sit on the couch when it's available; they just _have_ to sit on the right side of it specifically because it _'feels better.'_ " He huffed before taking a huge gulp of his coffee again recoil in pain from the cold of the drink, but Blossom could tell it hurt his brain by his expression.

Blossom giggled. Their arguments seemed to be as ridiculous as the ones she and her sisters had on an almost daily basis. "Your brothers are funny."

She had spent a fair amount of time with the blonde one, Boomer—and was sure he was dating Bubbles on the low, but she'd never call them out for it even though Bubbles _loved_ to call her out for any and everything. And Butch was one she couldn't ignore in her communications class, no matter how hard she tried. Though he was annoying, practically the definition of it, she couldn't deny that he had his charm. She knew that if she were in a room with all three of the Jojo brothers, it would be hours of laughter.

Brick scoffed. "More like funny _lookin'_. I can't stand them."

"Don't be mean."

"They make it hard to be nice."

"Stop it." Blossom waved a dismissive hand, shaking her head with a smile. "I bet you have a bunch of fun memories with your whole family."

"Kinda? It was only us and Pops for a while, a long while. But, uh…" Brick's eyebrows furrowed as he took a long pause, looking like he was deciding on what to say. "Pops is in a coma now, so it ain't been the same in a while."

Oh. _Oh_. A smile never dropped as fast as Blossom's did at that moment. She had never considered that outcome—which was reasonable since she never heard Boomer talk about his father even though she's been around him more than once—but still, she should have at least considered the possibility. Jumping the gun like that was a rude and potentially harmful thing to do to his mental state.

Brick had this smile on his face that didn't quite meet his eyes. "Don't give me that look. Seriously, it makes me feel shitty." He laughed casually as if he didn't admit his dad was in a coma a mere few seconds ago. "And don't apologize either. Ya didn't know. It's cool."

Blossom wanted to apologize so badly, but she knew Brick wouldn't take that. So instead, she nodded, muttering a tiny "okay" before stirring her spoon in her coffee to try and ease her nerves.

Even with a vibe switch like that, Brick kept the same facial expression. It was a little impressive on his part; Blossom knew she wouldn't have been able to keep up an act like that. "It's nearing his fifth year," he said. "Doctors say it's a miracle that he's still alive. They don't know how the hell he's still kickin' it or how the hell he got in that state in the first place, but still. A miracle." He leans back on the legs of his chair, keeping a steady balance.

That sounded like a miracle, specifically, a miracle Blossom had no idea how she was supposed to respond to. "That's good." As soon as those words escaped her, she visibly cringed. Leave it to her to make a situation turn from a zero to a solid negative five hundred by simply opening her mouth.

An awkward silence spread between them then, and Blossom never wanted to abandon ship more. What the hell did people do once things become awkward again? Didn't one come up with some lame-ass excuse and avoid the other person until things died down a bit? It would be a bit easy to make up something; she had a bunch of fake scenarios at her disposal from previous encounters that ended terribly. She just didn't know which one would work against Brick Jojo of all people.

Brick eyed her, glancing at her up then down before sighing, pushing the legs of his chair back on the ground. "If I show ya this, ya gotta take this to the grave, okay?" he muttered, leaning forward. "I don't reveal things like this all the time."

"O…kay…?" Blossom answered slowly, expecting an explanation. However, she was met with even more silence as Brick's fingers slid on his phone's screen. Then, he seemed to freeze, and his eyes clouded a bit as he gave it an intense stare. It was as if she were watching something she wasn't meant to.

Before she could speak up (though she didn't know what she would say), Brick slid his phone across the table over to her. Well, that was weird, but not as weird as other things. So, Blossom would dismiss whatever the heck that was.

Blossom looked down and was immediately pleased with what she saw: an old photo of the Jojo brothers along with a man who she guessed was their father. She first noticed that the three really did look _so_ alike, especially Butch and Boomer, who were literally almost identical twins with their black hair and facial structure; the only difference seemed to be their clothes and the color of their eyes. Brick was easy to find with his flaming red hair and dark brown eyes.

In the background of the picture, Butch held a snail high in the air, chasing a tearful Boomer with it while Brick was doubled over with laughter. Blossom didn't even need to hear the whole story about it; the picture was an entertaining story enough.

And the most focused person in the picture was their father. Despite looking an absolute mess with tousled gray and black hair along with bags under his eyes and a messy purple button-up, he had the brightest smile on his face. Somehow, Blossom could tell how happy the man was with a singular look at the picture. He must have been having a blast with his sons.

Slowly, Blossom lowered the phone and slid it back to its owner. "So _cute_ ," she gushed, prepared for Brick to explode into a blushing mess.

"Shut up." Brick's cheeks looked like they were the same color as his hat. Predictable. The guy could dish side compliments like they were nothing but couldn't take them himself.

Now, Blossom _had_ to keep it up for a little bit longer. It was only fair after the torment she had to previously endure. "I'm serious! Look at your matching clothes! Look at your wittle _snapback,_ oh my _goodness!_ " She pointed at him in the picture from across the table, specifically his tiny, cute hat on his tiny, cute head. "Have you always worn them?"

Brick avoided her gaze, still blushing. "Yes, 'cause they keep my hair in place better! It's a _comfort item!_ " As if it would be stolen from him at any moment, he placed his hands protectively on his cap, pushing it down more. Little strands of his hair exploded out a bit more, looking like a fluffy mess.

That was enough teasing for the day. Blossom chose to step down and change the subject. "What's your dad like anyway?" she decided to ask. "You don't have to answer."

"Oh, Pops? He's annoying." Brick responded bluntly without much thought. Blossom didn't know if it was appropriate to laugh, so she held in her urges, letting him speak. "Nowhere near perfect, rough 'round the edges, but he taught us enough. Parts of his personality stick with me and my bros." Brick let out a small chuckle, his eyes painted in nostalgia. "Ya know, he was never good at being organized or cooking. I think Butch takes up after him a lot in that sense. Boomer's got his fuckin' ramblings, long-winded sentences, and complete loudness. And me… I guess I wanna learn a lot, kinda like he did. Big brain had to go somewhere."

"Is he the reason you want to be an inventor?" Blossom asked curiously. She still kept her eye on him as she took another sip of her disgusting coffee—and _wow_ , it was _so bad_ that it took a lot of self-persuasion to swallow it.

Brick nodded. "Yeah. He was an inventor himself, a huge one back in the day. I gotta show you the newspapers sometime or Mr. Mojo Jojo or whatever the hell the media called him."

Blossom smiled. "Really? I'd like to see that a lot. Let me know when."

Brick's eyes grew a bit smaller as he looked at her. He had _really_ nice eyes, not because of the color—though the dark brown did compliment his auburn hair well—but because of the way he looked at her. It was like he was interested in every word she was going to say, even before she spoke them.

"Heh. Sorry," he apologized, breaking eye contact to stare into his sickeningly bright coffee. "So, uh, who made you wanna be a teacher? Your folks or somethin'?"

Blossom shook her head. "Nah, Miss Keane. She was one of my teachers back in middle school." She could feel her mouth curl into a smile. "When my sisters… moved here," she started carefully, ignoring the sea's faded call in her ears, "we didn't know a lot. Things up here are a bit different from what we were used to. Miss Keane was always so patient and understanding, even without knowing anything. I wanna be like her, help out every student in every way I can."

There was no surprise in Brick's face. In fact, there looked to be some measure of respect. "Noble. Seems like something you'd do," he commented before gulping the rest of his coffee down.

"So, you know me now?" Blossom asked, trying her hardest to ignore the fact that there was _so much sugar_ stashed at the bottom of Brick's clear cup. Seriously, how did he manage to drink all of that and remain calm?

He shrugged. "I know you enough to get a few hints here and there."

Blossom blew some air out of her nose. " _Sure_ ," she responded sarcastically, opting to take another sip of her coffee so that he couldn't tell that she was going to practically beam at him because _wow,_ he knew how to make her do that with his words alone.

It didn't look like Brick seemed to notice how much she was holding back. His eyes stared up in thought. "Ya know," he started, "sometimes, I get these thoughts that I can't become an inventor. World ain't ready for me, not yet." He said that in a playful tone, but he looked a bit indifferent, almost like he wanted to say something else.

And it felt _weird_ hearing him say that. Brick Jojo looked like he always knew what he was doing. The way he walked, talked, and carried himself—all of that seemed to equivalate to a lion, the king of the jungle. Maybe lions had their fair share of low days, too.

Blossom couldn't help but wonder if Brick doubted himself sometimes or was just as unsure about the future as she was. It was both a sad and comforting thought to know she wasn't alone.

"Let's pinky promise on it then," Blossom offered. When Brick gave her a curious look, she explained, "Promises with others are known for building a sort of foundation and make it more likely that you'll actually try and achieve a goal. Or, at least, that's what I've heard. Besides, you wouldn't want to disappoint me, would you Jojo?" she challenged.

Not taking the bait too quickly, Brick scoffed. "Too late for that. I'm the king of disappointments," he stated confidently. "Disappointing is just what I do."

Blossom rolled her eyes, resting her elbow on the table. She wasn't buying that excuse. "Nope, no escaping this one. Shut up and shake pinkies with me already," she said a bit more forcefully, sticking her pinky towards him.

Brick stared at her silently, seemingly evaluating her. He did that a lot, she noticed, not only while looking at her. He looked at everything like that. It wasn't critical or judgmental, per se, but more so in a way where he was trying to come to a state of understanding without coming on too strong.

He didn't give himself much credit, Blossom thought to herself. With an attitude like that, Brick Jojo was already one hell of an inventor.

Finally, he spoke. "Fuck it. Why not?" Soon, his pinky was linked with hers. "I like a woman who demands things."

At this point, Blossom was pretty sure she was becoming a pro at ignoring Brick's side comments that might or might not have been flirting. She could have thrown one right back at him, too, but she would let this one slide. "Glad we came to an agreement then, Jojo."

Blossom could still feel a sort of outline of Brick's pinky even when he retreated his away from hers. It was almost like the lingering feel of their promise… either that or the lingering feel of his pinky in general. Seriously, it felt _rough._ She had to remember to get him a bit of lotion as a gift sometime.

Another sound blared from Brick's phone, one that sounded much calmer than his brother's set ringtone. "Almost ten. Hate to cut things short, but ya know, class." He got up from his seat. "Unless you want me to ditch?" he offered as he tossed his cup in the garbage a few feet from their table, barely making the shot correctly.

Admittedly, a part of Blossom did want him to ditch. She didn't understand why. "You can't achieve your goal if you skip class, and that would literally break a percentage of our pinky promise," she stated instead. "Besides, if you _did_ skip to hang out with me—which I won't let you do—you'd have to study with me. You're going to do some schoolwork either way."

His lips itched up into a smirk. "Studying with you seems better than class." Blossom gave him a stern look and, exhaling, Brick raised his hands in defeat. " _Fine._ I'll go, I swear."

Blossom got the sudden urge to walk with him, even though she had no upcoming classes. Pushing those urges down to who knew where (probably the very tips of her toes, which would not stop _wiggling for whatever reason_ ), she said, "You better. See you later?"

Nodding in agreement, Brick threw her a quick peace sign. "See you later, Ariel," he confirmed, slinging one strap of his raggedy backpack over his shoulder. Then, he was out the door and headed straight towards Pokey Oaks University, which was a close walk from where they were.

 _Ariel._ Blossom laughed under her breath. She was beginning to like the nickname a bit more than she should have.

Taking a few more moments to herself, she stared around the busy café, drinking the last few drops of a coffee she hoped she would forget about soon. For the first time since she entered, she listened to the noises around her, students complaining about their upcoming exams, noisy writers typing quickly on their laptops, and the soft background music playing through the ceiling speakers. Everything around her seemed so… human. So _normal._ Blossom couldn't help but look at it all in slight envy.

It must have been a bit nicer to be so oblivious to the true things the world held.

Blossom spent a few more silent minutes observing those around her, taking in the comfort of it all. Admittedly, there weren't a lot of moments where she could do this. Between school, homework, and basic needs like eating, sleeping, and avoiding water withdrawals, it was hard to just sit back and fully relax. When she decided it was time to go and face the world, she got up from her chair. Carefully, she placed her items near the other used mugs, gave the barista another 'thank you,' and exited the café.

The weather outside was cool but comfortable, fitting for the upcoming fall season that would roll over in just a few days. Her brown boots stepped on small piles of fallen leaves, leaving behind a persistent yet satisfying _crunch_ in their wake. Whenever she exhaled, a small cloud formed near her mouth. Fall wasn't her favorite season—spring won her heart ever since she first experienced it on land—but fall was a pretty close second. Her large collection of light-colored sweaters never looked better in any other season but this one.

The coffee finally set in, though the gross after taste persisted. Still, the sacrifice was well worth it. Blossom felt perked up and ready for anything the day decided to throw at her.

Or at least that's what she initially thought until Princess decided to conveniently bump hardly onto Blossom's shoulder rather than using any other space on the large sidewalk that they walked upon.

Blossom could have ignored it and walked away from it all. She could have walked away without a word and avoided any sort of issue. But she just had to be what she was raised to be. _Nice_. "Hello, Princess," she spoke calmly, ignoring the fact that her blood was practically boiling.

Princess stopped, turned a bit, and gave her a smile that said something along the lines of, ' _I cannot stand even the sight of you, but I'm going to pretend like I do to make myself look better.'_ "Hey, Beatrice!" she exclaimed loudly, just enough to gain a bit of attention from others that just so happened to walk by.

 _And others who knew how to properly use a sidewalk,_ Blossom thought to herself, refraining from rolling her eyes.

However, she could not hide her look of displeasure. "It's _Blossom_ ," she corrected. She didn't know why she even bothered. Something told her that Princess was aware of her name; she just didn't give a damn to ever say it correctly.

As anyone would predict, Princess turned back around and brushed past Blossom without a care in the world. She didn't even bother to apologize like any other person with a basic level of morality. Instead, she continued to walk off, waving a hand at Blossom like she was some silly pet. "Try to watch where you're going next time, okay?" she called back. "It can get pretty busy on this sidewalk, and I would _hate_ if you bumped into someone again. Toodles, love!"

Blossom fumed, opening her mouth, but she immediately closed it. Outdoor arguments were never a good look. With so many people walking around, she knew that others would look at her in a judgmental light. And even though Princess didn't seem to be that great of a person, Blossom didn't think she deserved to be stared at like that either.

Too nice. Blossom was always _too damn nice._

Silently, Blossom watched as Princess walked away, all the way until she was a tiny speck in the distance. There was _something_ about Princess Morbucks that Blossom did not and could not understand. It was one thing to be a little mean—Blossom has had her fair share of experiences with mean people—but it was another thing to deliberately and consistently while pretending to play nice. Being mean took energy, and Princess didn't look like the type of person to 'waste' energy on someone like her. But she did with her more than once, and something told Blossom that this would not be the last time.

Deep down, Blossom knew that she didn't trust Princess Morbucks. Even though she barely knew her, and even though she didn't understand her true motives, she didn't trust her at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Almost 9,000 words. I typed almost 9,000 words for this chapter. And my wrists are burning. Gotta love carpel tunnel!
> 
> (Also why do all of my fics have a scene in a café… I've gotta let that go. Next fic I promise to try and not include a scene like that-)
> 
> Anywho, hello again everyone! Another chapter down. It's been a hard couple of months for me, but I am back… until I wind up taking a few more months to continue thanks to school, which is right around the corner for me. That's the main reason I made the chapter longer than usual.
> 
> Thank you all for reading, faving, following, reviewing, commenting, bookmarking, kudo…ing… Yeah, all that jazz! I hope that I'll be able to keep you all interested somehow!
> 
> The next chapter might be a bit… different from these past four. But it is very important for the plot that is yet to unfold. It's honestly the chapter I have been working out the most, so I'm excited to update this as soon as I can!
> 
> Well, until next time! Stay safe everyone and hope to see you in the next chapter!


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